Notice Me!
by Lady Nosila
Summary: Nami tries to get Zoro's attention by using tactics recommended by her friends.
1. Chapter 1: It Dawned On Me

_This is my second story! Anyway, it may begin kind of boring, but it'll pick up in a chapter or two; I've got big plans for this story. Thank you to everyone who reads my stories. Hope you enjoy._

_**Notice Me!**_

_Inspired By: Eichiro Oda's "One Piece"_

Chapter 1: It Dawned on Me

The sun beat down relentlessly on the deck of the Thousand Sunny, warming the crew and leaving them overheated and lazy. Not even a full two days had passed after springing up from the sea after the StrawHat crew's adventure on Fishman Island. At first everyone had been ecstatic to be traveling the second half on the Grandline, but after a few hours under the blaring sun, the crew calmed to the point of their eccentric Captain found fishing to be the most exciting thing to do. It was not long until Luffy was joined by Usopp the sharpshooter and Chopper the ship's doctor. The shipwright Franky was below deck tinkering with his toys while Sanji did his job and cooked lunch for the ship's residents. The first mate was busy himself; lifting weights in the gym to prepare him for his next opponent.

In the shade of the tangerine trees, the ladies of the crew rested with the talented musician who was humming lazily. Robin the archeologist leaned back in her chair as she studied her history book; slowly turning pages and occasionally pausing to smile at the three fishing and whacking each other with their poles. Meanwhile, Brook leaned against a tree behind her as he hummed his tunes and made the occasional skeleton joke. Overall, the crew was relatively carefree. There was one though who was not: the navigator. Nami lounged in a chair beside Robin's and was reading a fiction novel; or at least that's what she appeared to be doing. In truth her attention was, in fact, elsewhere. Normally she worried about the ship staying on course and the state of the weather, but at that time she had another concern she was pondering.

Though her book was raised so it rested before her face, her eyes were focused beyond the page and on a certain someone who was causing her a great amount of grievance. She watched his back through the open trapdoor to the lookout tower, which also happened to be the gym, as he lifted the massive metal weights. The angle was bad, but Zoro was still visible to the young woman.

If someone told her two and a half years before that she would fall in love with the swordsman, Nami would have denied it. For as long as she could remember, Nami had always been terrible at understanding her own feelings and even worse at portraying them. For the longest time she refused to even admit she had emotions. If it had not been for the book she had confiscated from the old men at Weatheria after finding them reading under a table with blood leaking from their noses, she never would have figured it out in the first place.

The book, _Lovers in the Wind_, was something she picked up between her studies to pass the time. The author spun a vast web of emotion and passion so intense that Nami was left confused. She couldn't understand why the heroine would go through so much trouble to be with the hero when she had so many others who cared for her. She must have read it five times before she began to carefully study the descriptions of how the hero made the heroine feel in an effort to figure out what made this one man so much more important than the others she knew. It was through the pages of the book that Nami learned what love was; not love of one's family or love of one's friends, but passionate, heart-stopping true love. It was during her seventh time reading through the book that she realized that she felt the same emotions that the heroine felt for her lover for Zoro. Nami's first reaction was to laugh at the idea; there was no way she could love him like that. Sure she had always found him attractive, but she had easily been able to ignore that fact. Not to mention how attraction hardly made it that kind of love. The more she thought about it though, the more she felt that it was true.

She thought back to the time they first met and how the first thing he did was save her. She remembered how she felt when he came to Arlong Park alone and how every time he was hurt she feared for his life, even though she knew he was strong and would survive. Nami then remembered how she would purposely increase his debt and how she would feel jealous every time he didn't notice her. When she recalled how her heart ached when Kuma made him disappear two years prior though, Nami found her answer. She was in love with Roronoa Zoro. The problem she was now faced with was what she should do about it?

She loved everyone on the crew to some extent, but Zoro had always been special. He had always been the one she trusted to take responsibility in times of trouble, to step up when Luffy wasn't around. Even more than that though, he was the one she respected the most. Yet for some reason Nami had difficulty showing how she truly felt; she always was rough on him and all her friends, often bossing them around, yelling at them, and smacking them when they acted stupid. Very rarely did she ever give anyone a kind word with complete honesty. How could she, a girl who couldn't even express herself, possibly approach him with a confession of love? He probably didn't even like her that much; he never went out of his way to speak with her like he did with the others on the crew.

Glancing at the page of her book Nami realized that that wasn't true; Zoro was a loner and didn't really socialize with anyone that much. Though it did calm her worry about him disliking her, the thought still didn't help much. Treating her like everyone else only meant she wasn't special to him in any way other than as a fellow StrawHat pirate. Her eyes drifted back up to focus on his sweaty back as he continued his training.

"NAMI-SWANNNN! ROBIN-CHANNNNN! I have your lunch ready!" Sanji's lovey-dovey voice suddenly scattered Nami's thoughts. She quickly looked away from Zoro's muscular back and let her eyes snap back to the pages of the book. "The stuff for you apes is ready too." He added disappearing back inside the ship.

"YAY! FOOD!" yelled Luffy, dropping his fishing pole and running to the kitchen. After scrambling to catch Luffy's pole, Usopp left the fishing gear on deck and hurried after his captain and Chopper. Brook soon followed and Nami knew Franky wouldn't be long either.

Placing her bookmark back between the same two pages it had been between when she had first sat down to read, the twenty-year old turned her dark red-brown gaze to Robin as the older woman stood and waited for Nami to stand as well. From the corner of her eye, the navigator noticed Zoro (who was now fully dressed) swing down from the gym and head toward the dining area.

"I'm coming." Nami said closing her book and getting to her feet. After pausing briefly, she left _Lovers in the Wind _on her seat and followed her sister figure. If there was anything that she learned from the book, it was that nothing hurts worse than a broken heart. Though she doubted Zoro would ever love her back, she figured she would be fine as long as he was around. However, him just passing her by without sparing a glance in her direction made her heart throb with pain.

As Nami entered the kitchen and saw him fighting Luffy away from his plate, she decided that she had to get his attention somehow otherwise she would always have a hole in her heart.


	2. Chapter 2: Seeing The Light

_Here is chapter two! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!_

Chapter 2: Seeing the Light

Nami tapped fingers against her arm as she leaned back in her chair; her eyes focused on the book resting in the center of her desk, only straying to check the log pose every so often. Even in the midst of an emotional crisis she would not let her ship and crew stray. She was seated in the library, a place where only she and Robin bothered to visit, which made it the quietest place on the ship.

Nami had hid herself away within the quiet, calming atmosphere so she could think, since she couldn't seem to anywhere else on the ship. After three days of sailing with nothing but horrible heat, the weather decided to suddenly drop to below freezing and to unleash a powerful hailstorm on them. Nami had to change out of her bikini top and into a sweater and coat to keep warm, which annoyed her. After tying the sails in, the crew was kept busy helping Franky repair the holes that the huge chunks of ice made as they punched through the deck. As soon as the storm ended, monsters emerged from the depths to challenge the crew; at least they had enough meat to last them a week now…even with Luffy stuffing his face. Once the sea seemed to calm enough for her to leave the boys on their own for a bit, Nami headed to the library to rest and to contemplate what to do. She ended up turning to the only place she could think of for help: the ship's extensive book collection.

Nami had searched the shelves in search of an idea about how to win Zoro, but the collection consisted of mostly history books, how-to books, books on medicine, and copies of ship logs and journals from past crews that sailed the Grandline. There were also a few cook books and adventure novels, but nothing about complex relationships let alone romance. Nami promised to change that the next time they found a decent book store. Until then though, all she had was the novel she got from Weatheria.

Frowning, Nami leaned forward and gently picked up the aging and well-used copy of _Lovers in the Wind_. Slowly flipping through the worn pages, she stared at the lines she studied so much that she practically had them memorized. She paused at the last page and released a sigh before reading the final lines out loud.

_"Silvia held her wounded love to her heart and cried in relief, her shoulders rocking with emotion. 'I thought you were dead.' she sobbed. 'Oh Claude...never leave me again my Claude.' He opened his eyes to gaze upon his one true love and smiled._

_'Do not cry my sweet Silvia. I will never go again...I am home.' He said touching her face and wiping her tears away. Claude pulled her close and leaned until his chapped lips brushed her soft ones. Never before did two lovers kiss so passionately, their hearts beating as one with the wind as their witness."_

Nami stopped reading and her frown deepened. She remained quiet for a moment, rereading the same lines over and over until she had it completely memorized.

"How stupid." She suddenly said. "It's so corny. It's not even real." She slammed the book shut and glared at the cover. "It's so useless. Useless!" She suddenly screamed flinging it at the door. It bounced off with a loud bang and landed in a heap on the ground. She jumped to her feet and marched around the desk to pace the room. "It's not even the same situation once I think about it. He _liked_ her to begin with; they have _so_ much in common while Zoro and me…we're so different." The only thing they shared was their crew and their ability to hold alcohol. She stopped moving and stared sadly at the book. "He can't even stand me. What am I going to do?" Nami said softly, her eyes watering, but she held her tears back.

She collapsed against the desk, her body sliding down until she was sitting on the floor with her head in her arms. She wondered if she should talk to Robin, but Nami always hated asking others for help; she always waited until she tried every other option before turning to another. This situation though...it left Nami totally stumped. How was she supposed to get a guy who found her annoying and saw her as nothing special to fall for her? If only they had more in common...more in common...

"...THAT'S IT!" Nami jumped to her feet and ran to the book by the door. Scooping it up she planted a big kiss on the front cover. "Oh, thank you! That's it! If I can show Zoro that we have more in common and that he can talk to me about that stuff, than he will surly start to like being around me. Even if I have to learn how to do nothing but sleep all day and train, I will get his attention!" Nami vowed pumping her fist.

It was at that moment that Robin opened the door, startling Nami into dropping _Lovers in the Wind_.

"Oh! Robin!"

"Is everything alright Nami?" The tall dark-haired archeologist asked, a soft smile on her face.

"Er…yes…every things fine." Nami chuckled nervously, trying to sound honest.

"I see…well, you're needed on deck. It seems as if another storm is coming." Robin said as she stepped out of the way and the navigator raced past.

"Oh no…I forgot…Thank you Robin!" Nami called behind her as she rushed around the icy ship planks; checking the log pose, feeling the wind, and watching the sky. "I'll have to worry about Zoro later. The ship comes first." Nami said to herself. "I'll wait until the weather is calmed down again to put my plan into action."

Chuckling and smiling knowingly, Robin closed the library door. "Two years and everyone is exactly the same…"


	3. Chapter 3: A Shared Interest

_Chapter three is done! This is where things pick up; I hope all readers enjoy the story. While doing this chapter I discovered that Nami is actually extremely easy to write for. Anyway, thank you to all readers and reviewers. I'll try to get chapter four up soon, but I still have schoolwork along with my __**Fairy Tail**__ story to work on._

Chapter 3: A Shared Interest

Nami watched the pin on the log pose for a moment before looking out to the lowering sun. It was three days after the day in the library and she had yet to try her plan out; she just couldn't seem to find the perfect time. Besides the fact that she just couldn't seem to get any alone time with Zoro, Nami was also rather nervous on how it would go. After much thought, she had decided to try the getting stronger approach; basically she would go to the gym and would tell him she wanted to get stronger and would ask him to help. She figured that if they hung out and trained together, then it would only be a matter of time before he started to warm up to her, after all, the guy always seemed to respect hard work.

A soft wind blew and Nami's long orangey-red curls lifted from her shoulders to dance with it. She knew her plan wouldn't take effect immediately; it was something that would happen gradually over time. If there was one thing Nami knew about, it was how to be patient; after all, she had waited eight years to avenge Bellamere's death. Even if they would never live happily ever after, she would be fine with just being closer to him as friends.

Glancing toward the sky and noticing that the sun was slowly approaching to horizon line, Nami decided to go to him. It was the perfect time to go through with her plan if only she managed to gather enough courage; though why she was so nervous was a mystery to her. Not only was Zoro alone, but Sanji was busy in the kitchen, Robin was in the bath, and the rest of the crew was playing a bizarre game of cards in the tangerine orchard while Brook played a lively tune. Sanji would be calling everyone of dinner soon; it would be a good way to escape if need be. Though she couldn't think of any reason why it would be necessary, a way out was always a good thing.

With her mind made up, Nami turned on her heal after checking the ship's heading once more. She made her way to the lookout tower's ladder and began to climb. Though she was in decent shape, rope ladders were never fun for her. Glancing up to see Zoro's back through the open trap door, Nami swallowed nervously before climbing up the rest of the way. The green-haired swordsman glanced her way as she pulled herself through the opening; clearly wondering what she wanted.

Nami straightened up; her heals clicking against the floor. She watched the first-mate continue his work-out for a moment before she looked down at her feet, debating how to make herself say what she wanted to say, not the usual lines she would blurt out without being able to stop herself. Wetting her lips, Nami looked back at Zoro and opened her mouth.

"You know, it's kind of dangerous to leave that thing open while you're up here. You can fall through." Nami said out of the blue. She pictured him falling from the tower to the deck below and bit her lip.

"I can get down faster with it open." He replied going back to swinging the huge weights.

"You can't take ten seconds to open a door?" She asked before she could stop herself. She frowned at her apparent lack of a brain; how can she stupidly start lecturing him when she came to be friendly?

"Ten seconds can win or lose us a fight. Did you just come up here to pester me Nami?" He replied, clearly starting to get agitated. Nami winced at his choice of words, though they were true; she was like a pest if she just came up to lecture him. But she hadn't; she came to ask him something very important. The problem was that she was having trouble making the words come out.

"You train a lot." She said stupidly and she could have smacked herself. What a dumb thing to say.

"Your point is…?" Zoro continued to train, though she was starting to confuse the hell out of him. Nami was annoyed with herself. She'd had the whole thing thought out; she would tell him she wanted to get stronger…

"Actually I came because I want to get stronger…" …and that she needed his help. "And I wanted to know if you could help me." There…she said it. Zoro stopped his exercise to look at her. Immediately her eyes locked onto the scar over his right eye, still not used to seeing it.

"Shouldn't you be talking to Usopp or Franky?" he just stared at her as if it was so obvious.

"Why?"

"Nami, I'm not the one who invents new weapons." He replied then turned to continue his training.

"No, no, no. I want to get stronger physically so I can fight even without the clima-tact." Nami blurted out. Zoro's reaction was not the one she was expecting; he laughed. Nothing drastic, more of a chuckle, but it was still proof that he found what she said to be humorous. "What's so funny!" Nami asked, slightly ticked about being laughed at.

"You? Want to do something that involves _actual_ effort?" Now Nami was mad.

"What?"

"I know it's been two years, but there's no way you've changed _that_ much." He continued.

"I put effort into lots of things!" She said, her voice getting shrill with anger.

"Nothing that involves working up a sweat." He replied swinging the weights again.

"Just because I don't spend hours a day lifting things a hundred times my weight doesn't mean I don't put effort into stuff. I am a navigator and a girl; my job is to keep this ship sailing in the right direction and to look beautiful, neither of which, might I add, are easy. I don't have the time to kill myself training everyday like you do!" Nami said, then froze. She hadn't meant to say that; though her responsibilities didn't call for her to become an invincible monster like Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, she had to show interest in training so Zoro and her would have something in common. Thinking fast, Nami added, "B-but I am also a member of this crew. I need to get stronger for everyone. I will do anything to…er…" she paused to think. "…never be in the way during a fight again!"

"You're not in the way. No one on this ship is; as long as you do all you can the best you can, then you are doing enough." Zoro's line surprised Nami. It sounded like something he would say to Chopper or Usopp. Never before had he ever offered kind words of comfort to her. It left her speechless.

Her quick mind wanted her to say that she wasn't doing all she could, but she couldn't seem to form it into actual words. She just stood there for ages trying to respond and looking dumb. When Sanji sang out that dinner was ready, Nami was glad she planned a getaway after all.

She forced out an exasperated sigh and put a hand on her hip.

"Just great; now Luffy will take our food if we don't hurry." She pointed at Zoro who was putting his shirt on. "We'll continue this discussion later." She said and turned to climb down the ladder. As she reached the deck, Nami decided to conveniently forget to bring the training idea up again.

Over a delicious meal of Sanji's gourmet cooking, Nami kept glancing at Zoro; watching as he wrestled Luffy away from his plate. Now that she knew what love was supposed to feel like, she knew that she loved him very, very much. She loved his strength, courage, honesty, and even how he was so directionally challenged. Now that she thought about it, all those traits were opposite of everything Nami was. She was physically weak, she was not brave, she was a thief, and she was a navigator; It was as if they completed each other. As she watched him and their captain she came to a new conclusion.

Perhaps their loyalty to Luffy was enough; perhaps Nami was being silly to think that forcing herself to be like him would help make him like her. After all, opposites are supposed to be attracted to each other. Perhaps she should instead focus on the attraction part. If she could make him think she was sexy or cute, she might have a chance of getting his attention. Even if it was not love, from him it would be enough.

Nami decided to try out her new strategy, which she called Operation-make-Zoro-blush, in a couple of days. That would give him enough time to forget the whole incident in the gym.

Giggling and grinning to herself, Nami turned back to her food to find it gone.

"LUFFY!" She yelled and everyone laughed as Sanji got her a new plate while beating the captain.


	4. Chapter 4: How To Make A Man Blush

_Here is chapter four! Read it and weep; and hopefully you'll be crying tears of laughter…or at least giggles/chuckles. This chapter is meant to be somewhat funny, but I'll let you readers be the judge of that. Hope you enjoy. Chapter five will be up when I have a chance to write it._

Chapter 4: How To Make A Man Blush

Lounging in her chair under a shady spot on the lawn deck, Nami gripped the newspaper in her hands and bit her lip. Zoro rested a little ways away, leaning against the railing with his swords by his side. Her gaze moved from the green-haired swordsman leaning on the ship's railing to the paper's bold letters, only to return to him. She was in a bit of a pickle. Nami could tell he was asleep by the loud snoring coming from him and had been waiting for him to wake for over an hour.

Sanji had brought her a cold fruity drink that Nami had yet to taste before dancing away to swoon over Robin as the older woman worked on her little garden. Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper could be heard below deck playing tag, while Brook and Franky were, last time she heard, in the bar drinking cold colas and chatting about installing a speaker system on the ship so that no matter where they were, everyone could hear Brook's music. The two were practically alone on deck since Sanji and Robin were out of sight and earshot of them, so Nami would be able to put her plan in action if only Zoro would wake up.

Four days after her last plan, Nami got up that morning and noticed that the weather and sea were stabilizing, indicating that the Sunny was near an island. The warm, sunny day was ideal for seducing; even the wind was in her favor. It lifted the few red-orange curls she left down from her ponytail, danced with her skirt around her legs, and threatened to blow her newspaper away. For the occasion, Nami dressed in a pretty light blue sundress that she had bought at Sabaody Archipelago right before the whole crew had gathered completely. It had thins straps, a wide collar that swooped low across her bust, a skirt that ended just before her knees, and was made out of a soft lace that hugged her form. Small orange tangerines with green stems and leaves were printed across the dress. It was quite beautiful.

She wore the dress in hopes that Zoro would notice, but she had no such luck. It was like the guy only cared about sleeping, fighting, and surviving; when she arrived for breakfast, he reacted just about the same as Luffy, only not as happy.

Nami was getting tired of waiting for him to wake on his own and decided to do something instead. She closed and folded her newspaper before placing it on the lawn next to her chair and placed her sandals on top so the wind would not blow it away. He just needed a full view of her figure in the dress, she was sure. The problem was she couldn't call out to him or shake him awake since he hated to be woken. If she didn't have a very good reason for disturbing his slumber, which she didn't, he would just end up annoyed at her. Though it was attention from him, she preferred the positive kind.

Taking a deep breath and glancing around to make sure that it was just the two of them around, Nami stood and slowly began to walk barefoot toward the stairs that led to the women's quarters, pretending to go get something. She was sure that someone passing by him so closely would wake him; he was a light sleeper and could wake on a dime if he sensed another's presence near him. She imagined him waking and slowly cracking an eye and seeing her, hips swaying and hair bouncing with each step. His sleep fogged mind would think it was a dream and he would stare wide-eyed at her; the idea brought a smile to her lips. Apparently she was below his internal radar though because as she glided past him, he didn't even stir or check to see who it was. Her little fantasy was crushed as she remembered it _was_ Zoro; he would never react that way. In a way, Nami supposed that she should be a little happy; after all, it meant that Zoro trusted her to some degree and had grown used to her presence.

Nami stopped at the stairs for a moment, then turned on her heal and walked by him again, this time even closer to his sleeping form. Zoro continued to snore away in his peaceful sleep. Nami was back at her chair and was getting rather annoyed; not at him but the gods who gave him such an erratic sleep schedule. She loved that part of him as well, but if he was awake more, her efforts would probably have better results.

Deciding to try once more, Nami performed her sexiest walk in case he actually looked this time. Halfway to the stairs though, the navigator stopped and turned to face him. Biting her lip, she posed with her hip thrust out and hand resting against it. Still nothing. Wasn't his unconscious mind, which she knew was at least slightly aware of his surroundings, even slightly curious about her parading before him? She changed her pose so one leg was bent, her arms were up and forcing her chest out, and her back slightly arched. If Sanji saw, he would probably need another blood transfusion; Zoro on the other hand, didn't even twitch. She waved her arms and made a face at him; it was almost a game for her at that point.

Frowning, Nami crossed her arms and stared at him intently. Her foot began to tap against the grassy deck as she debated what to try next. Perhaps she wasn't quite close enough, she thought. Slowly, Nami moved to stand directly at his side. Leaning against the railing, she stared out across the water. The blue of the sea and the lap of the waves against the Sunny calmed her beating heart at being so close to him. Taking a moment to check the log pose, the navigator then glanced down at the swordsman. He remained sound asleep, his loud snores continued the same as when she was seated in her chair. She carefully repositioned her weight so the skirt of her dress gently brushed his shoulder. The slight touch caused him to stir, his snoring hitching for a moment before continuing, though he was clearly disturbed. If she continued to stand there, she figured it was only a matter of time before he woke and asked her what she wanted.

Now that she had some of his attention, she quickly shifted so the wind slightly lifted her dress up her thigh. She pushed a loose red-orange curl behind her ear and sighed. Watching him from the corner of her eye, she waited for his good eye to open, his head to turn and angle up, and him to verbally question her reason for standing over him like she was. Though she only had a vague idea of how she would respond, Nami didn't care; she just wanted him to wake up and get a good look at her in her dress.

She watched him shift slightly, then fall into another deep slumber. Nami wanted to smack her forehead, but held back. Deciding enough was enough and that she would rather risk him being grumpy, she turned and bent so her head was next to his.

"Zoro." She said his name softly. He did not respond immediately, but after a moment he grunted and his snoring was stopped completely. She almost sighed in relief; a part of her feared the possibility that even addressing him wouldn't work. Though he did not look at her or move, there was no doubt that he was awake and she had his attention.

"Hello Zoro." Nami said sweetly leaning forward so when he turned his head he would see directly down her top. She idly wondered if he would blush.

"Whatever you want, I'm not doing it. Try the Love-cook; he's hanging out over by Robin." Zoro said without even glancing at her. Nami huffed at being brushed off so casually, but was not deterred.

"But Sanji won't answer my question as truthfully as you." She said pouting when he still refused to look her way. She straightened up and frowned down at him. "You'll give me an honest answer; no sugar coating."

He sighed deeply, opened his good eye and only turned his head slightly when he looked at her. She smiled in what she hopped he would take as a pleasant way and struck another pose, though she kept it simple. She put all her weight on one leg and allowed the other to bend a little; her hand moved to rest on her hip that she thrust out and her head tilted just enough so he would see her face better. She waited for his attention to drift, for his eye to travel down from its current position on her face. He remained silent as he gave her time to ask her question. When she didn't right away, he yawned and blinked before giving her another few seconds.

"Ask already." He said, growing impatient. Nami quickly tried to remember her excuse, knowing he wouldn't like it but having nothing better.

"I…ah…wanted to ask if…um…if you think this dress looks good on me or whether I should get rid of it and buy something else." She asked turning so he had a full side view; she even puffed her chest out some and allowed her hips to sway a little. He blinked once…then twice…and sighed again.

"It's clothing." He stated.

"Yes, but does it look good on me?"

"It's _clothing_." He repeated, not understanding why women cared so much about what to wear; she could wear it so the lacy cloth was obviously doing its job.

"Yeah, but there's no point keeping it doesn't look good on me. So what do you think?" Nami asked, turning again so he could see how it looked from the back. At that point, if he said he didn't like it, Nami would have rushed to toss the dress, despite the fact she got it on sale, that the original price was quite high, and the fact that she had quite liked it at the store.

"It works doesn't it?" Zoro asked to Nami's surprise.

"Well…yeah I guess." She answered. The swordsman frowned.

"Then why replace it? I thought you hated being wasteful when it comes to money related stuff." He had a point. Nami supposed it was quite a bit unlike her to ask about something after she bought it. In truth though, Nami had no idea about Zoro's preferences when it came to women. She was so desperate that she was unconsciously trying to become a girl he could like.

"I want to upgrade my wardrobe." Nami didn't really lie.

"Look, shouldn't you be asking someone else such as Sanji? Or better yet, Robin? I don't care what you wear." He said and Nami felt her shoulders slump. She forced herself to respond even though she was rather put out about his lack of interest in her looks.

"I already said I'm asking you because you'll give me a straight answer. Now, are you going to tell me how it looks or not?" She said, sounding demanding. Zoro sighed.

"It looks fine, now leave me alone." He said and turned his head to face straight, his eye closing again as he attempted to continue his earlier nap.

Rather depressed about her plan's current condition, Nami stomped back to her chair and flopped down on it. Crossing her legs, she allowed a glare to lock onto Zoro and held it there until he was snoring again. Slowly her hard expression softened until sadness seeped through. The heat starting to get to her, Nami reached for her drink even though the ice had long since melted and the glass was dripping with condensation. Her hand reached blindly as she continued to stare at the once-again sleeping Zoro until her fingers brushed against something smooth, warm, and leathery. Nami glanced at the small table beside her and saw _Lovers in the Wind_. She remembered putting it there when she sat down to watch the swordsman, but had forgotten the romance novel was there.

Forgetting her thirst, Nami picked up her book and stared at the cover. The illustration of the artist's opinion on how Silvia and Claude looked consisted of the two lovers holding each other and gazing lovingly into each other's eyes.

Suddenly Nami was struck with an idea. Deciding to try once more, Nami got to her feet and casually walked across the deck to the stairs again, the book still in her hand. Halfway there though, she let the book slip from her fingers. Though it landed on grass, the sound of the pages flopping was loud and different enough to startle Zoro from his sleep again. He jolted awake, grabbing a sword and looking at the source of the sudden noise. His gaze traveled from the book to Nami standing in mid-step before him.

Looking as sheepish as she suddenly felt under his stare, the navigator offered an apologetic smile before turning to pick to book up again.

"Oops." She said, her body beginning to bend and her hand reaching out. With his eyes still on her, there was no way he wouldn't get an eyeful when she bent over. Her dress was low-cut so he would see right down the front as she picked up _Lovers in the Wind_. All she needed was him to get a good look; if he was like every other warm-blooded male she met, then the image would stay with him for a while. He would think about that moment every time he saw her and eventually, with her encouragement, he would see her in a new light…that was her plan anyway.

Sadly though, Nami had only leaned slightly when the door leading to the aquarium bar burst open and Luffy flew from within.

"Ahahahah! You'll never catch me!" He laughed as he sailed through the air and plowed into his navigator. Nami released a rather comical squeal as she and her captain went flying over Zoro's head and into the waters of the Grandline.

Nami's first instinct was to grab Luffy and drag him to the surface. Once they met air again though, Nami snapped and punched him with everything she had.

"You idiot!" She wailed, thinking about how her dress was ruined; she would be lucky if it didn't shrink too much. Then there was the matter of she had been so close to successfully completing phase one of seducing Zoro. She grabbed Luffy's shirt and proceeded to drag him back to the ship, fuming over her rotten luck.

Once the two were hauled back onto the ship, Nami noticed that the entire crew had come to see what was with all the commotion. At the sight of a soaked Nami, Sanji kicked Luffy through the wall of the bar, causing Franky to complain about him hurting his ship while Robin asked if Nami was alright.

"I'm fine." Nami huffed when she noticed that Zoro was asleep again. Didn't he care that their captain had knocked her into the sea? What if a sea king ate her? "I'm totally fine." She marched over to her chair to collect her sandals before scooping up her book and heading for the stairs. She was going to collect something to wear when she got out of her bath; she had to get clean after swimming in the salt water. "Could you watch the ship's heading for me until I get cleaned up, Robin? We should be approaching an island in an hour or two and these idiots would only make us pass it."

Smiling, Robin replied, "No problem." Nami knew she could count on Robin. She was the most responsible on the crew. Glancing once more at Zoro wistfully, Nami headed for the women's quarters.

_Screw it_! Seducing him obviously wasn't working, she thought as she climbed the steps. As Nami carried her sandals and _Lovers in the Wind _into the women's quarters, she decided that she needed to try something else. She glanced over her shoulder to see Sanji kick Luffy and her newspaper blowing out to sea. Though at that moment she was at a loss about what to do, Nami knew she couldn't give up; she'd think of something eventually. With that thought, she let the door close behind her.


	5. Chapter 5: In Need Of Assistance

_Here is chapter five. I apologize for all mistakes I might make and have made (this goes for all chapters and stories); I have a problem with not being able to type fast enough when getting my idea on the page. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy and thank you to all readers and reviewers. I'll try to update soon. Bye!_

Chapter 5: In Need Of Assistance

Nami brushed her long red-orange curls before the mirror in the girl's quarters, gently pulling tugs out. That was the problem with long hair; the mere wind could put horrible tangles in it. She was seated before the dresser that was for Robin and her to use and was lost in thought, still unable to decide on what to do about Zoro. It was two days after her last attempt and had spent most of the time keeping the boys from running amok on the small, uninhabited desert island. There had been nothing for the crew there, so they quickly continued on their journey. Once they were back out to sea, Nami was able to focus on her personal matters without having to worry about anyone (namely Zoro) wondering off and getting lost on a small, open, desert island.

Staring into her own eyes in the mirror, she wondered if she had given up Operation-make-Zoro-blush too early; it wouldn't kill her to try one more time would it?

"If I try again though, someone will probably just mess it up like before. It's impossible to successfully seduce anyone on this ship." She said softly to herself.

"Talking about the swordsman?" A calm voice asked from by the door and Nami jumped in surprise. She quickly turned to see Robin closing the door with a click. For a brief moment before the room was secured again, a sliver of the early night sky was visual to the navigator. "Don't look so shocked…I've known for a while now."

"H-how?" Nami said standing and fidgeting nervously.

"For another woman, these things are rather obvious; I could tell the moment I first joined the crew. Lately you have been especially obvious with how you always look so wistfully at him." Robin paused and smiled at Nami reassuringly. "I've been meaning to ask…what made you realize?" Nami scratched her arm and looked at the book resting on the bookshelf closest to her bed.

"I read something that made me think." She answered looking back at the older woman. Robin's smile widened slightly and she nodded.

"Ah yes, _Lovers in the Wind_. A very romantic tale if there ever was one, though not really my thing."

"You've read it?" Nami was surprised.

"For the longest time books were an escape from reality; I read anything I could get my hands on. It was a long time ago that I read it though."

"It's not very good and at first I only read it out of boredom, but since it basically made me realize just what I was feeling and I have nothing else available for reference, I just sort of clung to it." Nami moved to sit on her bad. As she sank onto the soft mattress, she crossed her ankles and glanced at Robin. "Would you mind…?"

"Yes?" Robin lifted an eyebrow.

"Would you mind if I asked you about…" her voice faded again and the older woman sighed and took a seat next to the navigator.

"You want to ask for my opinion." Robin stated tucking a silky ink-black section of hair behind her left ear. She had watched Nami long enough to know all about her problem and was willing to give advice, but she also knew that Nami had to be the one to find her own answer.

"…Yes."

"Alright, my best advice is to tell him." Robin said and Nami frowned.

"Normally I would agree with you, but I already know how that would end."

"Oh?"

"I've been such a witch to him; I bet he's never even thought of me as anything other than the spoiled little navigator. If I suddenly went and confessed, it would only result in extra tension. He's a good guy; he wouldn't want to hurt me, but he's also too honest to go along with it _just_ to protect my feelings. It'll only bother him. That's why I figure that if I could get him to like me, even only a little bit; he won't mind having me around as much."

"You sound like you will be content with just being friendlier toward each other." Robin said noticing how Nami fidgeted. "Are you alright, Nami?"

"This is the first time I spoke anyone about anything so personal." she replied and the archeologist nodded, understanding. "Actually Robin, I think you can basically say that I'm blindly reaching for a better way to be with him…even if it's not in a…romantic…or intimate way."

"Are you sure that simply being on better terms will be enough for you?" Robin asked already knowing the navigator would eventually want more.

"I don't know about the future, but for now it's all I've got."

"Then I suppose what you had been doing two days ago had nothing to do with trying to get him to admire your body." Robin smiled at the memory. She had noticed that Nami had been acting strangely and had been keeping an eye on her (actually, it was on the mast) and had watched Nami marching up and down in front of the sleeping swordsman.

"OH MY GOSH! You _saw_ _THAT_?" Nami suddenly blushed which was very new for the archeologist to see.

"I was concerned." She explained.

"Um…well…I…um…" Nami was flustered.

"It's okay Nami. I understand." Robin continued to smile knowingly and the younger woman frowned.

"Okay, maybe I'm not totally fine with just being friends, but as you noticed, the whole seduction plan didn't work; he just stared at my face and acted like he thought I was crazy." The navigator said sulkily.

"You _were_ acting strangely."

"So I shouldn't try again?"

"No." Robin said frankly and Nami looked down at her lap. Her dark red-brown eyes stared at nothing in particular as her thoughts raced. She felt so lost; for the first time she had no experience to guide herself.

"Robin, I don't know how to get him to notice me." She said, her voice soft but the older woman still heard her.

"What experience have you had with men?" Robin asked. She needed to know just how much help Nami needed.

"Well…I sometimes flirt a little; you know, bat my eyes and smile to get something. I've never dated since for years I was too busy trying to save my village before I joined Luffy. I can't remember ever kissing anyone before, even back during my days as a pirate thief." Nami paused in thought for a moment. "Actually, I don't think I've even had a childhood crush."

"I see." It was Robin's turn to frown; she had no idea that Nami was so pure since she didn't act it.

"That book was the first romance I've ever read and the Sunny's library doesn't have any others. I tried doing things he likes to do to show him I was someone he could talk to about them and I've tried getting him to want me; neither worked as you can see." Nami ranted, feeling relief as her burden seemed to lift from her shoulders; she wished she had spoken to Robin sooner.

Meanwhile, Robin could tell that the poor girl had a long way to go. Though she was no expert on complicated emotions, the raven-haired woman understood people for the most part.

"Perhaps you should try something simpler."

"Huh? Like what?" Nami asked turning her body to face the older woman.

"Try showing him your nicer side. Give him a hand with something." Nami was taken aback but the suggestion. "It does not have to be anything drastic; just do something small like give him a compliment or giving him something he dropped."

"AH! I can do that!" The navigator jumped to her feet with excitement. She now had a new point of focus. "Thank you Robin!" She exclaimed.

"Just don't force it." The older woman said and Nami nodded. She hurried to finish preparing for bed. She slid under the covers instead of staying up a few more hours working on her maps as she usually did. Robin relaxed on her own bed reading a thick hardcover book. Snuggled under the warm blanket, Nami wondered what she could do to help Zoro; he didn't drop things and he was tall so there was no way he would need help reaching anything. The only thing he could possibly need assistance that she could think of was finding his way around an island. Sadly, she wasn't sure how long it would take to reach the next one; the Sunny could sight land in a week or longer.

Somewhere between half an hour and an hour, Robin closed her book and turned the lights out, but the young navigator remained fully away and alert. She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the Grandline at night. She knew Franky was keeping watch that night and debated joining him since conversing with the cyborg was better than waiting for sleep to take her, but decided against it. She needed rest for the next day; a navigator always had to be alert just in case, especially on such a dangerous sea.

Eventually Nami drifted off into a light, troubled sleep. She tossed and turned until the smallest hints of sunrise reached from the horizon. She woke early, and unable to get anymore rest, climbed from under the warmth of her blanket and proceeded to dress. In black pants, a T-shirt with G-I-R-L printed across the chest, and her heeled sandals, she left her hair down and strapped the log pose to her wrist and the Clima Tact to her hip. Ready for the day, she left the women's quarters.

Immediately she heard Franky snoring in the lookout tower above and shook her head. She glanced at the log pose before heading to the kitchen where she found Sanji beginning to prepare breakfast. Nami took a seat at the table just as the door closed and he noticed her entrance.

"Good morning Nami, My Dearest." He sang without stopping his work. She replied with a "morning" of her own just as Usopp came in complaining about super loud snoring.

One by one the crew gathered for breakfast; the last to arrive was Robin, though she wasn't the last to wake. The moment Luffy arrived, energy filled everyone and the struggle to protect their food began. Laughing and talking, the happy group only brightened as the morning sun shined through the windows. Nami loved meal times on the Sunny.

Fully stuffed and feeling refreshed despite her minimal amount of sleep during the night, the navigator headed to the helm and checked the heading. She gave orders and made a note of the storm forming in the distance. She would have to keep an eye on it, but didn't think it would bother their ship as long as they stayed on the course she'd instructed.

The sound of metal clanging against wood drew her attention to the gym and crow's nest. She idly wondered if Zoro was training without his shirt and, before she realized what she was doing, walked to the fore mast and proceeded to climb the ladder. Realizing what she was doing, Nami felt herself blush and quickly scramble back down to the deck. What had she been thinking? She couldn't go up their randomly; what could she possibly use as an excuse?

The sudden sound of yelling and crashing answered her question. Blessed with an idea, Nami ran to the woman's quarters and grabbed _Lovers in the Wind_. She quickly climbed back up the ladder to the crow's nest/gym and paused at the open trapdoor, just out of sight. She waited for her beating heart to calm and for her thoughts to collect. With a silent breath and a promise to help him with _something_, Nami continued the rest of the way. The first thing she saw was that yes, he did have his shirt off.

"Hope you don't mind my joining you up here. I'm trying to read and the others are being too loud down there." Nami said climbing through the already open trap door. Zoro replied with a grunt as he lifted a massive set of weights, each one being three times the size of the navigator and over a hundred times heavier.

Feeling nervous, Nami carefully sat down on the circular padded bench with the most distance she could manage between her and Zoro. Trying not to openly gawk or drool at his rippling muscles, the young woman opened her book to a random page. When she glanced down for a moment pretending to read so she could pull herself together, she noticed that it was the part where the traitorous Rick ordered Silvia to marry him; threatening to kill Claude if she didn't. He was lying though, since he had no clue where the hero was. In the next chapter Claude saves her.

Nami glanced up to watch the swordsman continue his training, though he was obviously agitated by her presence. She supposed her watching wasn't helping. She frowned; she was doing the opposite of what she wanted to do.

"If you want, I can cheer you on. It might help you get pumped." She suddenly said and wanted to hit herself, but it was too late. Zoro paused in mid-lift to give her a look that said just how weird she was behaving. Internally agreeing with him, Nami grinned and threw her arms in the air yelling, "GO ZORO! You can do it! It's only a few hundred tons!" He jumped slightly in surprise, surprisingly not dropping or even moving the weights in his hands. She was unsure whether she was over or under estimating how much he was lifting considering how strong she knew him to be. "Lift it Zoro! If you can't do it no one can!" She cheers from her spot on the bench, her legs tucked under her and _Lovers in the Wind_ now beside her.

For about a minute Zoro let her continue, though with every shouted cheer, he would wince and wonder when she would get bored and leave. She'd been acting so strange lately that it was rather of worrisome. He wondered if he should ask Chopper to give her a mental check-up. She looked like she was about to jump to her feet and start spelling words with her body. Finally having enough after humoring her for a little over a minute, Zoro stopped what he was doing, turned to look at her with upmost seriousness, and said, "You can stop now."

She immediately froze, somewhat relieved since she had been running out of things to say, and dropped her arms back to her sides. With her quiet, Zoro continued his work out. Nami sighed and looked around, listening to the clang of the metal and his counting that he managed between gritted teeth. She was struck with another idea, though she knew that it is just as bad as the last.

"I can keep count for you."

"No. I'm fine." He blurted out a little too quickly and Nami felt a sting of pain in her heart. She looked back out the window and sighed again. Risking being caught by him, she quickly glanced in his direction. She noticed beads of sweat sliding down his face from his hairline and across his shoulders and chest. Quickly reclosing her mouth, Nami had yet another idea.

"Do you want a drink? I can ask Sanji to get you something cold and good." She asked thinking there was no way he wasn't thirsty.

"Sure." Zoro answered, thinking that it might get her to leave, even if there was still a chance of her returning. He hoped she would get distracted and let him be in peace. If she continued to be so…un-Nami-like, he would be forced to call the small doctor. He watched her move toward the trapdoor out of the corner of his eye; his body continuing the well-practiced motions while he focused his attention on willing her to climb down. He mentally groaned when she simply leaned over the opening and called down to the Love-Cook who had been yelling at Luffy.

"Hey Sanji!" Nami yelled, a hand reaching to pull her long red-orange locks out of her face. "Can I have a drink brought up here! Something cold and refreshing!" She didn't even bother to ask, it was more of an order.

"YES NAMI-SWANNNN!" Sanji sang.

"And can you bring one for Zoro too!" She added.

"Huh?" Sanji frowned but the navigator had already pulled her head back into the crow's nest. She waltzed back to her seat, knowing Sanji would do as she asked. Sure enough, within a few minutes the exuberant blonde seemed to float into the room with a tray to two drinks, one fancily decorated while the other was simple, on it and proceeded to twirl to the young woman's side before falling to one knee.

"Here you go, my dearest. Something cold and refreshing." He said offering her the nicer of the drinks on the tray like it was an offering to the gods.

"Thank you Sanji." Nami said while smiling at him. The cook looked like he was on cloud nine while Zoro held back a gag.

"Oh yeah… and this is yours Moss-Head." Sanji suddenly said handing the other glass to the swordsman less than gently.

"Hey Sanji!" Luffy's voice called from below. "I want one too." Other cheerful voices followed in agreement and Sanji sighed.

"Alright, alright! I'll be there in a minute." He jumped down to the deck below and from sight. Nami peaked at Zoro to see him placing his now empty glass on the floor out of the way. Her eyes darted to focus on his sweaty back and she blushed. She quietly sipped her drink, noting the way his skin shined as the sunlight filled the room. Though she enjoyed looking at him when he was all sweaty, Nami could tell that it was not helping with his training; Every so often he would stop to wipe the dampness from his skin.

Mostly out of curiosity over how he would answer, Nami suggested, "If you like, I could wipe the sweat off for you and you could just keep going." The loud clang of the weights hitting the floor made the navigator jump. Zoro could only stare at her in disbelief. He'd been utterly confused about her behavior for over a week, but her one suggestion was the last straw; there was no way she was perfectly fine. Zoro was debating telling her to visit Chopper or escorting her there himself while Nami was left wishing she hadn't said anything. She was _very_ embarrassed.

Zoro opened him mouth to speak, catching the navigator's complete attention. Just as sound was about to come out, a hand suddenly slammed down on the floor boards from the open trapdoor. When it was followed by another then a blonde head, Nami knew Sanji had heard her. Looking demonic, he finished crawling through the opening and stood facing Zoro. Reaching in a pocket, Sanji retrieved a cigarette and jammed it between him teeth.

"How…" The cook hissed out trying to light a match, but was so crazed that he failed repeatedly. "How dare you…make a beautiful angel do something so…HOW DARE YOU MAKE NAMI-SWAN DO SOMETHING LIKE _THAT_!" He yelled, seeming to morph into something inhuman and his cigarette fell from his mouth and to the ground.

"Actually-" Nami began, not really sure what she was planning on saying, but Zoro interrupted her.

"I'm not making her do anything! She's doing it all on her own!" Zoro shot out. "She's lost it."

"NAMI-SWAN HAS NOT LOST IT, YOU SHITTY-SWORDSMAN!" Sanji exploded.

"Shut up, Moron." The First Mate growled.

"YOU SHUT UP! YOU DARED TO HAVE HER ASK SUCH A THING THEN HAD GALL TO NOT REPLY 'YES' IMMEDIETLY!"

"YOU'RE THE ONE YELLING! AND AREN'T YOU GOING OFF TOPIC!"

"ENOUGH!" Nami yelled standing up. She placed her hands on her hips with _Lovers in the Wind_ loosely balanced between her palm and fingers, and marched to stand between the two men. "Geez, over react much? I was only trying to be nice. Sorry I bothered. Humph." She huffed as she stomped to the opening and proceeded to climb down to the deck below.

The moment her sandaled feet touched the wood planks, she raced to Robin's flower bed and to the one person she trusted to confide in on the matter. She slowed when she reached Robin's side; the rave-haired woman leaned over the garden and smiled warmly at the navigator as she planted the last of the new seedlings in the soft dirt.

"What's bothering you, Nami?" She said sitting up and pulling her gardening gloves off. The navigator sighed and sat next to the older woman; her legs pulled up so she could rest her chin on them.

"I failed. Your idea was good, but I am so stupid that I couldn't even begin to be of any help." She responded. Robin was silent for a moment.

"What exactly happened?"

"What happened was that I acted like a real idiot. If I want to be helpful to him, I should just give up." Nami sighed sadly. Robin frowned. The older woman placed the gloves on her lap and rested her hands on top.

"I don't know what happened, but I don't think that would help anyone…least of all the swordsman. Do you remember what I told you at the end of our conversation last night?"

"Yes. You said I shouldn't force it. I didn't think I was, I just…" Nami let her voice fade and when Robin gently lifted a hand to indicate that the navigator should stop talking and listen.

"Perhaps I should rephrase my words. Nami, don't try so hard. Don't go out of your way and try to shove favor on him; let it be natural." Robin said and Nami's eyes widened in realization.

"I think I understand. What I was doing must have seemed fake to him." She paused and pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I think I won't give up after all. Thank you, Robin." The older woman smiled her 'you're welcome' and watched as the navigator stood up and walked away. Glancing back and smiling, she waved at the archeologist before continuing on her way.

Nami was in better spirits than before, but she couldn't just run back to Zoro and attempt put Robin's new advice to work. She needed to find another way to spend her day. Checking the log pose and glancing up at the sky, Nami was glad to see that they were still on course and, though the clouds were getting darker, the storm she'd seen earlier that morning would just miss the Sunny. She was debating going to the library and working on her charts when the sound of Sanji calling and early lunch solved her problem. The navigator was glad that Sanji sounded like he was in a good mood again; when he wasn't he tended to blow up more at their Captain and the First Mate.

Luffy darted into the dining area ahead of everyone else making the rest of the crew hurry to stop him from eating everything. The afternoon meal was even more rowdy then the morning one; Nami loved it almost as much as the crew's first meal of the day. The only thing that could not compare was the lack of early morning light from the sunrise brightening up the room.

The young navigator made a note to be careful otherwise she would gain weight as she made her way to her chair in the shade of the tangerine grove. She planned to read something other than _Lovers in the Wind_ and had chosen a ship's log from a former pirate who sailed the Grandline briefly, though it read more like an adventure novel. The author even gave it an exciting title: _Taking the Sea by Storm_. After fetching the book from the Sunny's library shelves, she carried it and her romance novel to her spot and gently dropped them onto the lawn next to her chair. Realizing the day was getting rather chilly and windy even if the storm wouldn't actually reach the ship, she headed to her cabin to fetch a jacket.

When Nami returned, she froze immediately at the sight of Zoro settled not far from her spot and leaning against the railing. He was obviously planning on taking his afternoon nap. A wave of nervousness washed over her and she debated reading somewhere else, but decided against it. She had managed to act normal during lunch, if she did something weird again, she would only make the others wonder about her sanity again. Taking a deep, calming breath, the navigator completed the distance between her and her chair. She kept her eyes focused on the two hardcovers on the grass as she walked. After what felt like ages, she finally reached her destination. Putting her back to the swordsman in a way that she hoped was normal, she bent over and picked up _Lover in the Wind_ and _Taking the Sea by Storm_.

Meanwhile, Zoro had just settled down after a filling lunch when he sensed the approach other navigator. Concerned that she was returning to yell at him for ticking her off earlier, he cracked an eye open to watch her. She didn't appear to be upset about anything, though her cheeks were slightly tinted with pink; he was reassured. The swordsman had assumed that she was angry at him and Sanji for automatically thinking she was sick just because she was trying to be nice instead of her normal bossy self; it was the only reason he could think of as to why she stormed off the way she did. Zoro couldn't help thinking something was wrong with her; it was rare to get a sincere kind word from her and even then it was followed up a bratty or selfish comment. When she kept offering to do things for him, he started getting rather freaked out; she was the bossy navigator who everyone on the crew treated like a princess. She _never_ offered to do anything, especially for him. Personally, he preferred it when she was yelling orders since it gave him something to focus on; Nami and peaceful just didn't seem to go together for anything longer than a short period of time, just as it didn't with Luffy either.

Seeing that she had no interest in him for the time being, Zoro let his good eye close. Before she vanished from his sight completely, she tuned and leaned over to collect her books and he got a decent view of her butt in her tight pants. Briefly admiring her until he realized that those kinds of thoughts weren't good, he focused instead on the sun's warmth against the chilly breeze and the sound of the sea. He stared snoring almost immediately.

Nami was comfortably seated in her chair with _Taking the Sea by Storm_ open on her lap. She read a few pages as the man's snoring and the rest of the crew's antics drew her attention occasionally. She already knew that Sanji was still cleaning up after lunch, Robin was in the library looking through history books for a certain date, and that Chopper was mixing more medicine in the sickbay. The navigator could hear Usopp tinkering in his little factory area on deck nearby while Franky and Brook compared their hair on the other side of the main mast much to Luffy's amusement.

"My hair is super-awesome! It's adjustable." Franky said.

"Nothing is as wondrous to the eyes as my afro. Not that I have any eyes since I'm all bones! Yohohoho!"

"Suuuperrrr!" Franky sang while striking a pose as the musician played his violin. The Captain laughed loudly and clapped causing Zoro to stir slightly. Nami looked at the man she loved and her eyes seemed to flash as she heard her calling: she would keep the others from disturbing his sleep for the rest of the evening. She closed her book and stood, determination adorning her expression.

Book still in hand, Nami stormed over to the trio and glared at them, making them all freeze. Usopp, from his spot nearby, noticed the look on the navigator's face and quickly decided to take a short break in the sickbay with Chopper.

"You guys are so loud. Can't you be quiet or fool around somewhere else!" She exclaimed, expecting them to flee.

Luffy sulked and said, "You're no fun Nami."

"Huh?" She glared some more, but this time for real.

"Don't you know how to not be a branch in the dirt?" Luffy asked with complete seriousness.

"I think you mean 'stick in the mud', Luffy." Franky corrected him as he and Brook took cover behind the rubber man.

"I am fun! I'm lots of fun!" Nami exclaimed starting to really get ticked off and Luffy shook his head while holding his precious hat on.

"No you're not."

"Yes I am!" She shot back venomously and the two behind the young Captain took a step back. Growing under her breath, the angry navigator spun on her heal to glare out to sea, not wanting to lose it and start yelling in case she accidentally woke Zoro herself. The rubber man's voice behind her made her pause.

"Hey guys look, I'm Nami." She turned and saw Luffy standing with his vest buttoned and stuffed with two cannonballs from the nearby cannon and him doing a ridiculous pose that he thought was supposed to be sexy. He batted his eyes and Franky and Brook laughed before forcing their chuckles back down. Nami radiated fury as she stood over the cowering three.

"THAT ISN'T FUNNY!" She yelled throwing her book at him with all the strength she could muster. Luffy instinctively ducked though the book wouldn't have hurt him while Franky and Brook dove to the sides. _Taking the Sea by Storm_ flew over their heads and hit the main mast, bounced off, then sailed through the air as if the gods where steering it. If any god was behind the book's trajectory then Nami wasn't well liked by the higher-ups because the five-pound hard-cover ship's log plowed into the sleeping swordsman's face.

Immediately Nami gasped and her hands flew up to cover her mouth. Zoro, obviously now fully awake, was seething. He picked the book up from where it fell on his lap and slowly stood.

"Who threw that?" he growled out in a dangerously low tone.

"Nami did." The three ratted her out in unison; all pointing at the trembling navigator they were currently hiding behind.

"I-I was aiming for Luffy..." Nami tried to defend herself, though she knew it was her fault.

"How many times will it take until you learn that throwing stuff at him doesn't work!" Zoro yelled marching up to her. He leaned over her and Nami suddenly felt overwhelmed as she was forced to look up to keep her gaze focused on his face. He'd grown so tall over the crew's two years apart. His proximity left her speechless even though she know that if she didn't say something like she normally would, he would figure out that her strange behavior had everything to do with him before she was ready. Yet she just couldn't form any words let alone a full sentence. Luckily a blond blur arrived at that moment and kicked at the First Mate, who successfully blocked the attack.

"Do not yell at women!" The cook declared passionately.

When he was cleaning dishes in the room below, Sanji had heard Nami yelling at someone and smiled at the thought of her beautiful voice being able to grace his ears even through the ceiling. When he heard Zoro's raised voice as well though, Sanji ran from the kitchen and raced up the stairs and across the upper deck. He now stood ready to defend the angel from the moss-headed demon.

Relief over Sanji's appearance filled Nami, even though it resulted in Zoro having to listen to Sanji preach about the wonders of females. Seeing her chance, the young woman escaped from the crowd and fled to the library while the boys cheered and made bets as the cook and the swordsman argued both verbally and physically.

The door shut behind her and she let her body fall back against it, tears filling her eyes. Robin immediately looked up from the pile of books and sighed.

"It sounded like things were getting pretty wild out there. Come tell me about it." Robin said closing the hardcover she'd been reading.

"I did it again!" Nami cried running across the room and surprising the older woman by hugging her. Gently the archeologist led the sobbing girl to sit on the cushioned bench that followed the circular walls. "I'm sorry Robin. You must think I'm so stupid."

"I do not." She replied gently patting Nami's back.

"I just caused even more trouble. No wonder he hates me."

"I don't think he hates you, Nami." Robin soothed.

"Of course he does; why wouldn't he? I'm so ridiculous to think I could make him like me even a little."

"It's okay. He doesn't hate you. I know people enough to know this as a fact."

"I'm so sorry! I'm getting your dress all wet with tears and snot." Nami cried even harder.

"It's fine; nothing that can't be cleaned." The older woman patted the head of red-orange curls.

"I just love Zoro so much." Nami choked out just as the library door started to open. Surprised by the sound to the navigator's never-before seen tears, Franky swung the door open the rest of the way and stared at the two woman on the bench.

"You love the Swords-bro?" The Ship Wright gasped and startling the younger of the two women. She froze in mid-sob and stared wide-eyed at the huge man. Robin smiled and continued to pat the soft head; she idly wondered where this new predicament would take the troubled navigator.


	6. Chapter 6: Filled With Awe

_Hello! I am so sorry that I took so long to update, but I've been busy. From here on out the chapters are going to be longer, but a lot of people seem to like that (I am one of them), so I don't mind (though it does take longer to update). Anyway, here is chapter six; I hope you enjoy! Chapter seven will be up when I have time to work on it. Thanks to all readers and a double thanks to all reviewers. I hope you have a nice day! Bye!_

Chapter 6: Filled With Awe

Franky had been the only one to notice Nami run to the library. Her face had been beat red and though he had at first thought nothing of it, after a minute, he decided to make sure she was alright just in case. Though she hid it with a tough attitude, she was actually very kind; everyone on the crew knew because every so often she would have her softer moments that gave her away.

Most of the time, the young navigator kept her true feelings buried deep inside; even Franky, who had not known her for as long as the other Straw Hats, could see that. He'd entered the library with that in mind, so what he discovered was the last thing he had been expecting: Nami openly crying. Then he heard her confession.

He stepped in the rest of the way to see Robin giving her a sisterly embrace, attempting to calm the sobbing girl. The two heard his loud entrance immediately and the navigator spun to look at him, but it was too late to take back her words. Her expression of shock would have been comical if not for the sudden aura of dread that swamped the air around her. Meanwhile, the older woman merely smiled gently and gave him a curious look before continuing to pat Nami's head.

"The Swords-bro? Zoro?" Franky gasped with honest surprise, the door still wide open. Nami let out a noise that was somewhere between a gasp and a scream and dove from Robin to hurry across the room. She grabbed Franky's arm roughly and yanked him out of the doorway and stuck her head out the door. Once she was sure that no one else had heard him verbally voice his surprise, she hurriedly shut the door and locked it.

Nami was panicking. She had now been found out by two of her friends; Robin wasn't a surprise, but Franky was. At least it wasn't Usopp or everyone on the ship would know her secret by dinner time.

"Don't tell anyone Franky." The fierce navigator demanded, except her tone was more of a plea.

"I never would have guessed." The cyborg said thinking back to how she and the swordsman often argued and recalling her more recent odd behavior. Robin chuckled from her spot on the seat.

"I did. The moment I first saw them together I could tell." She said in a calm voice, her knowing smile still pulling at her lips.

"Did you hear me? Franky, I said please don't tell anyone…please!" Nami outright begged which resulted in the huge man backing away from the small female. The navigator openly showing her emotions was just too weird. Franky was left speechless and tears for the girl filled his eyes. It must be a tragic one-sided love; the poor thing!

"Don't worry Nami. He won't tell." Robin answered for him. "Will you Franky." It wasn't a question because she already knew he wouldn't. He immediately pulled himself together to answer, but he did not reply right away.

"…No…" Franky said after a brief pause, as if he was still debating it, which sent the panicky navigator over the edge.

"Why did you hesitate?" She demanded to know as she reached up…and up to grasp the collar of her shipmate and give him a good shake. From where Robin was seated, the action looked awkward due to the height difference. Franky gave Nami a stern look before speaking.

"I won't say anything to anyone since it's none of my business, but should you really keep everything bottled inside like that?" He questioned and the young woman released his shirt as if her hands had been burned and spun on her heal so her back was to him. She looked at Robin for a moment, a frown on her face. The raven-haired woman smiled calmly, her chin resting on her hand. They had already had this talk and Nami understood where both of her shipmates were coming from, but she had too many reasons to keep it a secret.

"It's better this way. If Zoro ever found out…it would just be a bother. Besides, I'm sure he hates me. I'm giving up; the best thing for me to do is stay out of his way. If I continue, I'll just mess things up even more." She explained, her voice full of sadness. The huge man behind her was silent making her feel uneasy. She wrapped her arms around herself and continued to wait for his reaction. When she heard a sniffle behind her, she slowly glanced over her shoulder to see Franky struggling to fight back tears. Seeing the huge cyborg getting emotional about something wasn't a surprise, but it was an odd sight just the same.

"T-that's…s-so sad!" He sobbed way louder then she had ever heard anyone sob before in her life. Nami winced and looked down, a sigh escaping her. "It's so t-tragic…" He bit his lip and fought his emotional tears, resulting in his now almost quiet sobs to shake his whole body. He sniffed as he brought a large, angular hand up to wipe away the evidence of his crying. Nami carefully moved to sit beside Robin once more and sank onto the cushion. Once Franky had regained control of himself, he pulled the chair from its spot and behind the desk and turned it so he could sit facing the two women. As he plopped onto the chair, Nami crossed her legs folded her arms, her head tuned away since she found it difficult to have a conversation about feelings with anyone including Robin; Franky only made it harder. "Do you really plan to just give up?" The cyborg asked. Nami was silent, but nodded her head. Robin straightened her position and turned so she could face Nami in her new seat while Franky looked at her with such sad eyes. "I may not be an expert, but I don't think love can just be clammed up. From what I know, besides Luffy, you two have known each other the longest." He said leaning forward, his fists dwarfing his knobby knees.

"That's right. The first time I saw him was when he saved me from the Buggy Pirates." Looking back, Nami couldn't help but recall just how amazing he had been; he had lifted up the cage with Luffy inside and carried it from the roof and down the street…all the while he had a stab wound gushing blood. Back then she never would have thought that he would grow to become even more incredible in such a short span of a few years. That moment was also most likely the time when she developed a bit of a crush on him; over time that little spark got stronger until she was totally and utterly in love with him. As the memory filled her head, the dreaded thought that had been haunting her for several weeks stabbed at the back of her mind. What could she possibly do to get him to care for her like that? "I was kidding myself to even hope that he would ever return my feelings." She voiced her thoughts. "I'm lucky enough to even be considered somewhat of a friend after the way I've treated him for so long. If only I'd realized how I felt sooner…or never did at all." She noticed her friends frown out of the corner of her eye. "I did this to myself." Nami finished and Robin released a sigh.

"I think you need to slow down; you're getting ahead of yourself again. He does not hate you; everyone on this ship has a bond that no amount of arguing can harm." She said to the younger woman.

"I-" Nami began but Robin shook her head.

"Tell me what you like about him." She instructed and Nami looked at her for the first time since sitting down.

"What?" She squeaked out, her eyes darting over to Franky. Robin remained silent, patiently waiting for the young woman to answer. "But is it necessary…it's kind of uncomfortable to talk about." She said quickly, her eyes darting between the two seated before her until she realized that there was no way she would get off the hook. She fidgeted slowly, and looked down for a moment, avoiding eye contact. "Well…um…he's strong." The navigator said and a blush quickly began to spread over her cheeks. It was an odd sight for the shipwright.

"And?" Robin urged. She wanted Nami to think about her feelings before jumping to a conclusion on how to proceed. Nami thought for a moment before opening her mouth again.

"He's brave…loyal, honorable, and…honest. He acts all tuff and scary, but he is actually very kind. He's kind of sarcastic and has a weird sense of humor, but he works hard and isn't afraid to fight for what he believes in…no matter what the cost is. And even though he's lazy, it just makes his determination to achieve his goal even more admirable." She could have gone on all day; she hadn't even motioned how she found his lack of a sense of direction cute or how undoubtedly sexy he is, but the expressions on their faces indicated that they got it.

"Wow…" Franky said after a moment. "I never really thought about it, but I guess he kind of does have those traits. Aren't you kind of glorifying him though?"

"No. I thought a lot about that stuff, so I'm sure." She said seriously.

"Okay…" Franky looked rather uncomfortable. He was too, but not because of the conversation. The situation made him think of two parents having a chat with their teenage daughter about dating or something. It wasn't something he'd ever thought he would participate in.

"And yet you are willing to give up so easily. That's hardly the brilliant navigator I know." Robin stated calmly, intelligence and self-contentment shining through her gaze. She knew Nami would be easy to get back on track; her affection for the swordsman was a few steps away from becoming stalker-ish if left unchecked. Franky, though not as sneaky or clever, knew the archeologist enough to see where she was heading with her words.

"Yeah." He added folding his massive arms and looking matter-of-factly. "I would think you would be more willing to at least get him to notice you."

"I already tried. He didn't even give me a second glance."

"What did you try?" He asked tilting his head in inquiry.

"She tried being nice to him, relating to him, and seducing him." Robin answered for her.

"Not in that order." Nami sulked, thinking how it sounded even more dumb the way she'd put it. Franky frowned.

"I didn't mean any of those things." He said shaking his head and waving his hand as if to wave the possibility that he was away.

"What_ did_ you mean then?" Nami questioned, turning and leaning forward to stare into the shipwright's eyes. She couldn't help but think that even the slightest chance of getting some good advice was better than nothing. If it was stupid or she didn't like it then she just wouldn't do it.

"I guess you can say what I meant was impress him." He said.

"What?" Nami reacted with a shrill tone. She was skeptical; there was no way it would ever happen let alone work.

"To get him to see you in a new light! Make him think 'wow, I never knew she was that super'." Franky grinned.

"I don't think he would think that." Robin said honestly in an even tone.

"I don't so either." Nami agreed, frowning as she leaned back again.

"Maybe not exactly, but something like it. I'm sure you can do something to catch his eye and make him super proud you're his shipmate."

"I don't know…what does that have to do with love?" Nami asked looking uncertain, but willing to try anything if only he could make it make sense to her.

"I'd like a woman who is super amazing." He replied with a shrug.

"You better not be saying that I'm not already amazing." Nami said pinching Franky's cheek as punishment for his comment. "Besides, this isn't about what kind of girl _you'd_ like. It's about Zoro." She sighed, getting rather aggravated. She stood up and strolled around him to lean against the desk.

"Franky may have a point." Robin added. "He may be the type to fall for a woman one can admire." Nami paused to think; if Robin said it had some chance, then she was willing to give it consideration. She pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear and gently bit her lip.

"I guess. He's had to save me so many times that I must seem like a real weakling to him." The navigator stated causing her sister figure to lift an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't go quite that far. I don't think he's had to save you that much; you can still take care of yourself quite well. Personally, I would think it would help instead of hinder a relationship; having someone to protect makes people stronger, expecially the people on this crew." The raven-haired woman said.

"That's true too." Franky agreed. "But relying on another and being able to have faith in them can also bring people closer." He explained recalling his "family" back on Water Seven and how their bonds only strengthened after he took them under his wing.

"If you put it that way I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try." Nami smiled slightly. If they had just allowed her to give up, she was certain she would be brokenhearted for the rest of her life. They must have realized and wanted to help…or they just decided to play matchmaker and see where it took her. "Here's the real question then…" Nami continued standing straight and placed her hands on her hips. "How can I possibly hope to impress _him_? He is so strong and practically invincible; I kind of doubt that there is anything I can do that can even faze him."

"Sure there is. You just have to think about what you can do and show him how super you are." His grin widened and he gave her a thumbs up. "You can do it."

Nami sighed at his enthusiastic voice and glanced at Robin. The older woman look positively pleased with herself; Nami wasn't quite sure why, but she supposed it had something to do with the plan and the possibility of another day or two of entertainment. The navigator sighed again and her arms dropped to her sides.

"I'll need time to think about it." She said turning and slowly walking to the door, noting the lack of commotion outside which meant the fight was over and the others had wondered off to different areas of the ship to do whatever. "Can I talk to you guys again later? I'll probably need help." She asked pausing to look over her shoulder at the two older pirates.

"Of course." Robin said standing and moving back her former spot to read her book. Franky smirked some more and got to his feet as well.

"Any time." He replied and Nami grinned at the two.

"Thanks guys. Having your support makes me feel not as lost." She said before continuing to the exit. Though she almost regretted saying the second part out loud, it was true.

"You know, I never would have thought that you were such a super chick." Franky laughed.

After giving the shipwright a good smack and hurting her hand on his incredibly hard head, Nami stepped out onto the deck and took a deep breath of the salt-scented air. Once more with a new plan to achieve her goal, the red-orange haired female walked across the deck and pause only at the sight of her books resting neatly stacked on the table beside her chair. She briefly wondered who'd picked up _Taking the Sea By Storm _for her. Though Sanji was the number one candidate, Zoro was a nice enough guy that it was possible he was the one as well.

After checking the log pose and seeing how the ship was, incredibly, still on course, Nami glanced at the dangerous waters that reached in all directions for what seemed like forever. The sky was cloudy now and the sun was out of sight except for a bright patch hiding behind the storm clouds that had left the ship alone to terrorize other waters. The sound of the sea licking the sides of the Sunny made the young woman realize her thirst. She'd cried so much that she had dried herself out.

She headed for the kitchen to find no Sanji but a sulking Zoro. Her first instinct was to turn around and leave, but she managed to keep her feet moving forward to the fridge.

The moment the navigator entered, Zoro felt his insides clench. Her presence was the last thing he needed; he wasn't in the mood to deal with her normal attitude let alone her recent strange behavior. He hoped that she would just do her business and keep going. He was worn out from arguing with Sanji; the idiot love-cook wouldn't let him have one little lone bottle of wine that was locked away in the fridge because he wanted to serve it to Nami and Robin at dinner. All other alcohol on the ship had already been consumed. The swordsman was forced to sit and suffer even though he really needed a drink; the guy's day was just plain horrible. First the witch of a woman interrupted his training session then nap while Sanji wouldn't leave him alone simply because the navigator was acting so odd.

The young woman felt his glare dig into her back and was forced to clasp her hands together to keep them from shaking with apprehension.

"What's wrong with you? Don't tell me you're still mad about that book thing." Nami managed in her normal cynical tone. When he didn't answer right away, the navigator looked back at him to see him glaring across the table at her.

"No." he replied. He wasn't; he had forgotten about it until she mentioned it then and had been completely focusing on other aggravating things. Just then Sanji entered with an armful of frozen meat he'd chased Luffy down to retrieve. How the rubber-brained Captain planned to eat something as hard as rocks was beyond anyone's guess.

"Don't worry about him, my darling. He's just pissy because he wants to drink himself unconscious when all we have is the wine for your dinner tonight." The cook explained as he walked past her to store the meat back in the freezer. A stab of guilt pierced through Nami. It was her fault Zoro was having that bad of a day. Before she could even try to get his attention she had to help fix the mess she'd made even if only a little bit; it was the least she could do.

"You know…" She began placing a finger to her lips in a thoughtful way. "Wine actually sounds pretty good right now." The sly female continued and pushed a loose curl behind her ear. The blonde turned to look at her after locking the freezer back up. "Hey Sanji…would it be okay if I had a glass? Please." She asked sweetly and smiled angelically. She even batted her eyes for good measure. Instantly to poor man sprang into action, almost ripping the lock off the fridge in his haste to open it. Pulling an elegant glass seemingly out of thin air, the cook pulled a seat at the table out for her before pouring the cool liquid for the giggling girl with hearts in his eyes and a stupid grin on his face. "Why thank you Sanji." Nami giggled making the man swoon with happiness. "Now…I think I saw some tangerines that were ready to be picked. Do you think you could go pick them for me?" She asked making a cute face and smiling charmingly at him.

"Not at allll, Nami-Swannnn! He sang skipping to the door, blood dripping from his nose. He twirled as he added, "Anything for an angel!" He vanished and the door swung closed leaving the navigator and swordsman alone, one smirking in triumph and the other rolling his eyes in disgust. The former pirate thief was somewhat proud of her manipulating abilities even if Sanji was an easy target; she was rather glad that he wasn't suffering a severe loss of blood every time his thoughts turned dirty. For a while the cook had had everyone worried. Nami's good spirits did not last long though when she noticed the look on the First Mates face. Hoping it would help, she gently pushed the drink to toward the man.

Zoro pitied the poor fool, but it only lasted for moment when Nami pushed the bottle of wine across the table to him. He looked from the glass container to the red-orange haired female, wondering if she was doing what he thought she was doing and debating how he should respond. He opened his mouth, but she shook her head. She was totally different from the way she was just a moment before. Her confident air was replaced with what looked like nervousness and her face was angled down as she stared unblinkingly into her glass.

"Don't say anything." She said. "It's just 'cause I only want one glass." Yet he couldn't help but notice how she hadn't even touched her small drink. If he didn't know any better, he would think that she had manipulated Sanji just to get him the bottle. Zoro's frown never left his face as he slowly reached for the bottle, noting how the little of her face that he could see through her waterfall of curly hair was bright red. Perhaps she really _was_ ill…

It was so stupid! She'd been alone with Zoro before; there was no reason for her to be acting like a teenage girl just because the man she liked was staring at her with suspicious and questioning eyes. What really didn't help was how his gaze was so intense; the intensity was just something else she loved about him. Once he took a swig of the wine, which involved him taking his eyes off of her, she let out the breath she'd been holding and felt her face slowly turn back to its normal color. She managed to straighten in her seat and gently picked up her glass. She sipped it carefully, glancing at the swordsman but refusing to make eye contact in case she started to blush uncontrollably again.

Though her face was almost back to normal; just a little pink tinting her cheeks, Zoro was still suspicious of her and worried about her current state of mind. He was grateful for the drink, but she had him concerned. The way she would look at him but not meet his eyes made him wonder if she felt guilty about something. Did she want to talk about something? Tired of playing the guessing game, he decided to just come out and ask her face to face.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked bluntly and Nami almost spewed her drink since she was in the middle of taking a sip. Almost. The guy was as honest and straight forward as ever; two years certainly hadn't changed that part of him.

Knowing she couldn't just ignore the question or he would just get even more annoyed with her, she said the first thing that came to her mind.

"What's wrong with me? What wrong with you, you idiot? You're clearly delusional!" She yelled. She wanted to smack herself. Once more she responded in one of the worst ways; how dumb could she be? She felt her face begin to heat up again and before she knew it she was sprinting from the kitchen and didn't stop until she collapsed on her bed. Meanwhile Zoro was left sitting at the table in shock.

"What the hell…?" He watched the door as it swung shut. He heard the door of the woman's cabin slam across the deck and his frown deepened. After a moment he took another swig from the bottle before deciding to just let it go until later since she clearly wasn't ready to tell anyone. Besides, he would be one of the last of the crew she would even consider sharing her problems with. Honestly though, the girl needed some help if she continued to act so weird.

* * *

><p>Nami spent the rest of the day in her bed. At dinner time, Sanji cried at the door when she didn't show up with the others and didn't stop until she came out of the room. She had difficulty getting up and crossing the deck due to a sudden wave of nervous nausea; she didn't feel like eating, but appearance was key when it came to the crew. If she gave even the slightest indication that she might be sick after her strange behavior, then she'd have everyone (except Robin and Franky since they knew what was really wrong) fawning over her. She did not want that, so she managed to drag her feet to the table. She gave the excuse that she'd lost track of time, when in truth she'd been hopping that she wouldn't be missed. She knew it was an impossible hope, but that didn't stop her from wishing for peace and quiet for just once.<p>

She ate very little and did so slowly, but it was enough to get Sanji off her back. The others laughed and played as usual; even Zoro wrestled with Luffy with a wide grin on his face. Nami felt so silly to be acting the way she was, but she was at a loss on what to do. Robin managed to get the navigator to hold a conversation about a book they'd both read recently, but it only lasted until the crew began to leave the table to go about their business. The young woman watched the swordsman depart out of the corner of her eye while Robin observed with a calm smile gracing her face.

Before heading back to bed, Nami checked the log pose and gave orders to drop anchor for the night since she was turning in early. The navigator's eyes scanned over the crew as they moved around preparing for the night only for her gaze to land on Zoro as he dropped the heavy weight into the sea as he always did. With a heavy sigh she retired to her quarters. After a night of restless slumber and vivid dreams, Nami woke with the resolve she needed to decide that she would try Franky's plan.

The navigator dressed and fixed her appearance; she was in black pants and a yellow T-shirt with her hair lifted off her neck in a ponytail. Within an hour of sunrise, she found herself alone on deck staring out at the ocean and debating how to act out her plan. It had even more blank spots then her other plans…like how she would even go about impressing Zoro. It would have to be pretty incredible and something never before seen, but every skill she had that was even slightly admirable he'd already seen several times.

Leaning on the Sunny's railing, Nami began making a mental list of her skills and counting them off on her fingers. Since she doubted he cared about her abilities as a thief or at manipulating men; she ended up with only three things she could think of: her navigational skills, her map-drawing skills, and her weather forecasting abilities. Zoro already knew about them; they had been one of the main reasons why Luffy first decided he wanted her on his crew. She could only hope that he had not realized the extent of her talents and could still manage something impressive…unless she thought of something better to work with.

Glancing at the sky she noticed the same storm from the evening before, but it had changed direction overnight and was now heading in their direction. It was a big storm so there was no way to completely avoid it, but under her direction the crew and ship could sail at the edge until they cleared it. She couldn't help but think that it was awfully convenient that such a good way to demonstrate her skills revealed itself so quickly. Perhaps the gods felt bad about the whole book thing the day before.

Seeing the storm quickly approaching, the navigator pushed off from the railing and headed to the men's quarters and knocked loudly.

"Hey guys! There's a storm! Get out here and get to work! Raise the anchor!" She called before turning to stare across the sky. She heard Robin come out onto the deck as heavy thuds of males falling from their beds and rushing to dress was heard. As expected, Sanji was the first to leave the darkness of the ship's interior while the last was of course the half-asleep swordsman. Between yawns and questions about breakfast (or in Luffy's case, demands), the crew set about their duties. Before the storm actually hit, the cook managed to prepare a decent meal to hold the group over.

By the time the wind had picked up and the waves were crashing around the wooden hull with a ferocious aggression, the nine pirates were fully alert; a good number of them were laughing and yelling into the brewing storm as if to challenge nature herself. Within minutes after the first drops of rain touched the deck of the Sunny, the sea was unleashing massive waves and mighty winds upon the small but sturdy ship and crew. Nami, now protected by a rain coat, gripped the railings to keep from slipping as the Sunny was tossed around effortlessly by the sea. Her heals slipped on the slick grass that covered the deck as she continued to shout orders, but the young woman managed to keep her feet planted firmly in place. Luffy laughed into the storm, holding his precious hat on his head while Sanji was at the helm. Zoro was releasing a string of curses as he retied the ropes that the Captain had done since for some of them, it was obvious that they weren't going to hold. The others on the crew either rushed about the interior of the ship making sure everything was secure or took cover inside the dining room until they were needed.

When the sail on the main mast came loose, it caught the wind and the ship jolted violently as the storm's strength took its hold. Zoro and Luffy hurried to tie it off again, though the former ended up having to untangle the latter's rubber fingers from the knots he'd tied before they could call it a job well done. The navigator's eyes watched her boys to make sure that neither of them slipped and fell into the sea; if they did they would surely be lost forever.

Within the hour, the pirate crew found themselves in calmer waters. The Thousand Sunny only suffered slight damage by sticking to the edge of the storm; Nami hated to even think about how horrific it would have been had they ended up receiving the storm's full force.

Feeling exhilarated by the excitement despite being tired, Luffy merrily called for a song and Brook happily obliged by playing a cheerful tune to celebrate not being sunk. Robin affectionately looked on while Franky and Usopp worked below deck repairing whatever needed to be repaired. Sanji and Zoro ended up in an argument over who was more useful during the storm which ended up somehow turning into an insult contest where one was declared a muscle-brained moss-head while the other an idiotic love-cook. It was while the two were bickering that Nami suddenly recalled her plan. She had been so caught up in making sure that the storm didn't swallow the ship up that she had completely forgotten to at least try to impress to swordsman with her top-navigational skills. Now that she thought about it though, it was silly to even think she would even have an actual chance considering the ship and crew would always come before her own selfish concerns; there would be no time for that sort of thing considering how a single second could save or doom her crew when in a desperate situation.

Nami chuckled as the laughs of her Captain and the doctor reached her ears. She slowly slid down the wall she was leaning against and sat on the soggy grass. She released a sigh before letting her gaze drift to rest on Zoro. She could always try her maps; she couldn't recall ever showing him one. She wondered if he had at least a basic idea of how to read one; she knew Luffy didn't for sure. Perhaps she could give a basic lesson on how to read a map to the crew members who didn't already know. It would probably be a good idea, but she doubted they (Luffy) would understand or even be willing to sit still for such a thing, so the navigator let it be forgotten. She would try showing off her maps; if it didn't work, she would just have to try something else.

After the clouds cleared to reveal slightly blue-grey skies, the StrawHat Pirates discovered other diversions to occupy themselves and scattered from the deck. The navigator gave the instructions needed to keep the ship on course for at least a while before heading to the library and settling down to work on her charts. Using notes that she gathered on islands and from previous maps and books as reference, the young woman set about carefully drawing for the next several hours. In fact, she was busy at it for the rest of the day and well into the night; only stopping briefly to eat and check the log pose. The time was past midnight when she admitted she was too tired to continue; if she did she ran the risk of messing up which was something she didn't want.

The next morning she settled into her seat once more with fresh determination. For several hours the navigator worked until she had several of the maps completed or well on the way. At the evening meal on the second day, Nami gathered up some of her maps and headed to the dining area. She had spent some time debating how to put her plan into motion without seeming obvious about her quest for praise and had managed to come up with something, though it still had numerous loop holes.

"Robin, I wanted to show you my charts. You've read books and seen other stuff on the islands so I figured your opinion would be good." Nami called as she entered the room, a thin stack of carefully selected perfect sea charts held safely in her arms. Even though she was basically relying on her sister figure's response, she knew Robin wouldn't mind helping her out.

"Is that so?" the older woman smirked knowingly. She could see what the girl was doing. Zoro was seated nearby so he would defiantly hear their conversation even if he didn't want to. Still smiling, Robin took the papers gently and carefully examined them. She hadn't had the privilege to see the young navigator work before, so the archeologist was even more impressed then she thought she would be. The girl's sea charts were nothing less than brilliant.

"Amazing." She said honestly. "It has to be the most accurate charts of the Grand Line that I've ever seen, and I've seen plenty."

"Really?" Nami asked as she stole a glance at Zoro to see if caught it.

"Really." Robin said with a nod.

"Let me see." Luffy suddenly said appearing from under the table and peering over the dark-haired woman's shoulder. He stared for a while looking almost thoughtful before frowning. "So it's a mystery map. Very clever." He said and Nami fell from her chair. Jumping to her feet she pointed at her Captain and let him have it.

"It is not! Honestly Luffy, you should really learn this stuff. If you even had the slightest idea-"

"Don't bother." Zoro's voice made the young woman jump slightly. She looked at him with surprise; however hope also shone through her eyes. "After all this time, do you honestly think that he can wrap his mind around something so complex?"

"Maybe you should take a look in the mirror, eh Muscle Brain?" Sanji commented from across the table before she could even begin to decide how to respond.

"What'd you say?"

"You heard me."

"At least I'm not some love-struck fool!" The swordsman's words pierced Nami's heart and bringing a sudden wave of anxiety to bubble up from her stomach. Lost in herself once more, she missed the next several seconds in which the two bickering men shot to their feet and proceeded to engage in a verbal battle.

"Is that all I am…?" She whispered so softly not even Robin who was directly at her side heard her. She snapped back into reality just as Usopp and Franky were drawn into the argument. Luffy took the chance to steel everyone's food while Chopper hurried to save his meal from the thieving hands. Brook and Robin laughed at the group's antics, but Nami could only stare as the cook and the First Mate started wrestling between sending shouted insults at the sniper and shipwright.

She suddenly let out a snort that the archeologist did notice.

"Well…_that_ didn't work." The former pirate thief said folding her arms and sighing. Noticing her fellow female shipmate's look of inquiry, she shook her head. "Don't worry. I'm not giving up yet." She added. "I have something else I can try…though I kind of doubt it'll work." She looked down at her feet, ignoring the loud crashes and screams as the fight drew in the last of the males. "Maybe that's my problem. I never believe in anything I try." She said softly to herself. With another sigh, she gathered up her hard work and carried it to the library. At least she managed to get a lot of work done.

The next couple of days were hectic; the Grand Line was as unpredictable as ever and three marine battleships chose the morning after the 'great manly fight' (which was later named by Franky) to appear on the horizon. For a little over forty-eight hours the ship and crew fled as quickly as they could, wanting to draw out the chase and prevent the confrontation for as long as possible, but the pursuers were persistent. Finally, after much debate over whether they should continue to run or stand and fight, Luffy jumped to the top of the mast and screamed enthusiastically, "LET'S KICK THEIR ASSES!" Hearing the crazy Captain's battle cry, the marine ships themselves seemed to pause as if rethinking their objective before continuing forward.

As the enemy battleships approached, the Strawhats gathered on deck and prepared for a good brawl. When the three ships fired their cannons, the three main monsters of the crew stepped up. Sanji kicked one cannon ball back and Luffy successfully caught another and returned it from which it came while Zoro sliced the rest to pieces. The two cannon balls flew back with more force then when they were fired and hit the leading marine ship directly at the center. Unable to continue, the damaged battleship halted its assault as fire alarms rang over the dancing waters. Armed to the teeth, marine men flooded the remaining two decks that positioned on either side of the Thousand Sunny.

Instead of giving their opponents the chance to step even a foot onto the Sunny's deck, the pirate crew charged first, sending navy men flying in all directions. Nami, Usopp, and Franky remained on board to protect the ship while the others did their thing. Numerous yells and screams rose from the marine ships as the pirates plowed mercilessly through their ranks.

The young navigator stood tall with her Clima Tact poised at the ready; she was waiting for her chance to assist her friends, but it wasn't difficult to tell that they hardly need her to barbecue anyone. She was confident that the fight would soon be over with the StrawHats as the victors when she noticed something. A sizable group of marines, about twenty or thirty, managed to hurry past Sanji as he was busy sending hundreds of their comrades flying and were approaching the Sunny with clear intentions of blowing up the smaller ship; the explosives they were carrying gave them away. Without missing a beat Nami proceeded to summon her clouds. From the corner of her eye she noticed Zoro battling what looked like a marine captain near the group; he was winning easily while the poor officer was struggling to just defend himself. The swordsman used a swift upper-cut to knock his opponent's blade from his hands just as Nami's cloud released a bolt of electricity. Too distracted to even call out her attack, Nami watched as the lightning split so it would hit two targets: the marines and the swordsman who had his blade raised, not realizing that it would attract the navigator's electricity.

He was just minding his own business, fighting a marine captain who had the gull to think he was his equal, when he felt an all too familiar shock. For a few seconds he was sure that his skeleton was visible for all to see. Luckily he was tuff and Nami's lightning bolts were just annoying and a real shock to him, though they still hurt. Using the accidental interference to his advantage, the marine made a move to draw a knife from his boot, but Zoro was quick to recover and faster than him. He brought the hilt of his sword down hard on his head, successfully knocking the guy out before spinning to voice his complaints.

"Hey! Didn't I tell you not to do that!" He yelled over the noise of battle at the sheepish girl who stood hunched on the deck below the one he stood on. Was that him who was smoking?

"Whoops…"She mumbled softly and was unable to take her eyes from the hard ones sending a glare her way. She was relieved when he was forced to turn his attention back to the hordes of government dogs who were trying to use numbers to overwhelm the seemingly invincible crew. The young woman decided that there was no way she was going to be impressing him with any of her weather techniques now; she was just pissing him off. Best to give up before she hurt him any more.

Sanji, who had seen the whole thing, laughed loudly as he easily dodged guns and swords as they were aimed at him. Growing more peeved by the second, Zoro started turning to tell the cook to shut up when a marine sailed through the air, courtesy of an exuberant Luffy, and knocked Sanji flying, earning a bark of laughter from the now better-spirited swordsman. Sanji retaliated against Luffy by kicking piles of men at him and spewing a new load of creative insults at Zoro.

In the end, the fight became more of a disagreement between crew members rather than with the government people. Seeing their chance to retreat and regroup since winning wasn't an option as long as the marines remained scattered about the sea, the massively depleted group gathered on one ship since the first was still unable to move while the second was sunk by Luffy.

The marines were trying to steer their ship away from the Sunny, but only Robin returned to the pirate vessel and they didn't want to take the ones who wouldn't get off the ship with them since it would only end badly. Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji were too busy wrestling to get a hint though while a singed Chopper and Brook were still trying to pull themselves together after Nami had unknowingly accidently hit them as well. Eventually the doctor carried the musician on board the Sunny but the other three remained distracted.

Nami stood on the Sunny and watched the trio with the sniper and the shipwright on either side of her.

"What are they doing?" Usopp asked though he could clearly tell; he just didn't get why they were doing it on the enemy ship when it was trying to escape. All they were doing was preventing the marines from letting them go.

"What a bunch of morons. So uncool." Franky stated and Nami could only nod since she couldn't bring herself to verbally admit that she did kind of start it. She idly noted that the argument had somehow turned to how meat should be cooked, which made her have to hide a smile.

"Hey Nami!" Chopper suddenly yelled from behind her making her jump. She turned to see the reindeer crouched over the skeleton. He had tears in his eyes. "You should apologize!"

"Huh?" She was confused, having only noticed that her lightening had struck Zoro.

"You hit us with your Clima Tact." He continued to fuss over Brook until he froze. "Oh no…I can't find a pulse…that means…" he sniffed and Nami sighed, knowing what was coming. "He's dead!" Chopper wailed. "Brook's dead!" He continued to cry until Usopp folded his arms and reminded the reindeer of the obvious."

"Uh…Chopper, he was already dead."

"OH! That I was! Yohohoho!" The skeleton laughed, his head rising despite his body remaining flat against the lawn.

"I knew that." The little doctor stated before dropping the musician's head and moving to stand by the others. "Aren't they coming." He asked and Robin chuckled from her spot on the deck above.

"Perhaps eventually." She replied smoothly. The navigator frowned for a moment before cupping her hand in front of her mouth to help her voice carry.

"Hey Sanji! Could you tell the others that it's time to go, please!" She called loudly making everyone directly around her jump in surprise. Immediately the cook grabbed the other two and dragged them back to the Sunny with hearts in his eyes and a blood gushing out his nose. The three landed on their heads; only Sanji did not jump to his feet right away as he was busy drooling at Nami's feet. "Alright everyone, let's get out of here."

"Hey, I'm the Captain." Luffy complained and his navigator spun to face him.

"Okay Captain, what are your orders?"

"Let's get out of here!" He called and the red-orange haired girl shook her head. Everyone scrambled to get the ship moving again; feet thumped across the deck until the sails had caught the wind and the Sunny was leaving the two remaining damaged marine ships behind.

When the enemy was not even a speck on the horizon, the crew of the Thousand Sunny congregated in the bar area to have a party. During the fight, Robin had managed to "borrow" alcohol along with various other treats such as books, maps, money, and a couple eternal poses from the marines. The navigator couldn't have been more thrilled to see that the older woman was still the most intellectually reliable member. The money expecially kept her mind off her own defeat for a while…that is, until she had an idle thought that if only the new stash of books contained a romance novel for her to reference. Her spirits depleting, the young woman made an excuse and left the room while everyone else drank and ate until they dropped.

The sun was setting after a long day and the air was cool and gentle. Sighing, the navigator made her way to Zoro's favorite sleeping spot on the deck and plopped down, placing the almost-empty bottle that she brought with her at her side. Crossing her legs and leaning back against the railing, she watched the sun vanish and the sky darken; she only took note of a drunk Brook when he stumbled out from within the ship and found a spot on the swing on the deck below where she sat.

With everything so peaceful, she found it hard to believe that she was a wanted pirate on a ship in the middle of the Grand Line. Before she met Luffy, she had been so sure that the sea would be the death of her to moment she arrived, but after being there for two years she was glad she chose to join the young Captain. If she had not, not only would she have missed out on traveling the world with her friends, but she would have had to give up her dream and she knew she wouldn't have fallen in love with anyone since she pretty much considered it a miracle that she fell for the swordsman in the first place.

As she closed her eyes and concentrated on the feel of the soft breeze on her face, Brook began to play his violin. It was a sad tune that she recognized as one he'd been writing for the past couple of weeks; he had yet to decide on some lyrics.

"Nami." His voice drifted up from below her.

"Hm?"

"Would you mind shoving me you panties?" He asked. Without missing a beat, the young woman didn't bother to reply and simply let her bottle drop and the sound of it smashing on his skull left her satisfied. After a moment he laughed and said "I felt that one down to my bones…'cause I am nothing but bones!" Nami sighed and tilted her head knowing that there was something else he wanted to say. "Anyway…I just wanted to ask what you thought of the lyrics I wrote. I wanted to try something different, so I wrote my first love song, Yohohoho!"

"Alright…" She turned her head and listened for him to begin.

"_I've been a musician for so lonnnnng,_

_I've performed so my talent grewwww,_

'_Til one day I decided to try something newwww,_

_So here is my first love sonnnnng_."

"YOU JUST SAID THAT!" She yelled, unable to resist.

"Yes, yes, so I did. Anyway, what did you think so far?" He asked cheerfully.

"I think it still needs work." She replied sharply, though she wasn't annoyed or angry, just wondering about something. "What kind of love song is it anyway?"

"It is a tragic love story about a girl who loves a man who she fears can never love her back. It is a one-sided love, but she knows it is still worth fighting for." The girl froze, her heart stopping briefly, before reality hit her in the face. She jumped to her feet and ran down to the deck below at top speed. Skidding to a stop before the surprised skeleton, she grabbed him by the fluffy scarf he wore and shook him.

Who told you?" She growled out, her tone panicked. The musician's empty eye sockets stared back at her blankly. "It was Franky wasn't it; I am _so_ going to pummel him! He swore he wouldn't tell anyone!" She shook him some more. "Listen, Brook, you better not tell anyone or I swear I'll send you flying to Raftel!" He cowered, leaning away from the currently demonic-looking woman and did not doubt her threat…but what did she mean?

"Tell anyone about what?" He managed, just so he could understand why she hated his song.

"That I'm in love with Zoro, of course!" She snapped back without even considering to possibility that maybe his new song was just a coincidence.

"…you're what…?" He jaw dropped open with surprise. Nami froze and the possibility of what she just did dawned on her.

"…you mean…your song just now…? It was a coincidence?" She asked, her voice shaking.

"Yes." His reply was simple. She paused to take it all in before the sudden urge to hit herself arose.

"…Oh crap." She sighed as she released her hold on Brook and he fell backward off the swing.


	7. Chapter 7: To The Rescue

_Hello! Sorry for taking so long to update. Anyway, here is chapter seven…(sigh)I am so glad I got it done; it's a long one and took __**ages**__. I did have fun writing it though…I always do. Thank you to all readers and double thanks to those who review; sorry again for updating so late. Bye, hope you have a nice day!_

Chapter 7: To The Rescue

Why did these things always happen to her? That was the big question Nami had been asking herself for several minutes after unwittingly confessing her feelings for Zoro to Brook. Seeing the stressed navigator huddled in a corner of the ship and rocking back and forth while chanting her mantra repeatedly was not a sight anyone on the StrawHat crew would ever be comfortable seeing. The skeleton musician tried being supportive, but the now depressed girl had frightened him quite a bit with her earlier almost-violent outburst, causing him to be reluctant to risk her wrath.

"Um…Nami…" His cautious tone alerted her of how alarming her behavior was…not like it mattered now though. He already knew her little secret. Robin finding out was understandable, even expected, but Franky and Brook should have been avoidable. If only she'd hadn't been so stupid.

"Stupid…stupid…I'm so stupid…" She mumbled to herself.

"Nami." Brook repeated, feeling pity for the currently pathetic girl swelling up within him. "Do you really like Zoro?" He asked. The navigator was quiet for a moment before slowly turning her head to look at her shipmate. Knowing that there was no point in denying it after everything she'd said before, she looked away again to stare at the grassy deck and didn't utter a word.

Brook didn't know what to say. In fact, there was nothing to say; Nami having feelings for anyone wasn't anyone's business but her own…and maybe the subject of her affection. The air around them was beginning to feel extremely awkward.

"I see…well, that is truly quite touching. I never would have guessed." He said slowly and carefully. Nami snorted, but held back her sarcastic comment about a majority of the crew's attention spans and intelligence. The skeleton-man was being nice; taking her foul mood out on him would be uncalled for. "To hear such a touching confession…it truly touches my heart…if I had one anyway!" He spoke the last part in a very chipper manner while showing off his empty ribcage. The copper-headed girl didn't smack him, but she did wish that she had voiced her snarky remark before.

"This is serious! It's not the time to be cracking bad jokes! I have a real problem here! At the rate things are going, everyone on the ship is going to find out!" She snapped, her patience abandoning her. The musician yelped and prepared to flee, but Nami's annoyance passed just as quickly as it rose. Feeling a little more daring afterwards, he decided to respond.

"Would it be so bad?"

"What?" She had a feeling she knew what he was referring to, but wished she didn't have to explain yet _again_.

"For others to know…would it be so bad? I boast no expertise in this area, but in just about every song or story I've heard, admitting one's feelings is considered to be very important."

Nami sighed. "Listen. I'm only explaining once." She said slowly as if to a child. "Zoro does not like me. He's a nice guy though and would feel bad about just blowing me off. In the end my feelings would only bother him. As for every other person on this ship…do I have to get into detail for that too?"

"I suppose not." Brook replied after briefly considering the Thousand Sunny's Captain and crew. "But does the swordsman really hate you?"

"I didn't say he hated me; I said he didn't like me." Nami quickly corrected.

"Oh, good. No one should feel hate, especially toward a friend. The word makes my skin crawl…except I'm all bones! Yo ho ho ho!"

"There's no stopping you is there?" The navigator sighed as she slowly climbed to her feet; her hunched shoulders continued to give her the appearance of a pitiful and dejected individual though. "Look, I'm tired, so I'm leaving, but first…you _have _to promise not to say anything to _anybody_." She ordered; though her stance was wobbly, her eyes made up for it with a threatening glare. If Brook had an Adam's apple, it would have bobbed when he gulped in fear.

"I promise to never tell another soul as long as I live." The musician swore wholeheartedly, his boney hand moving to rest over where his heart once was.

"Good." Nami nodded with satisfaction until she realized what he'd said exactly. "Wait…"

"Except I'm already dead! Yo ho ho ho!" He laughed at his own joke while Nami kicked him across the deck.

"YOU IDIOT!" She screeched in fury and frustration.

"What is this all about?" Robin's smooth tone seemed to slide through the air to the navigator's ears. Before the red-orange haired girl could respond, Brook was back on his feet and bowing politely to the elegant woman.

"Hello. We are just enjoying the delightful night air and discussing how Nami has a thing for our favorite swordsman and First Mate."

"CAN'T YOU KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT FOR ONE MINUTE?" The navigator yelled. Robin already knew, but Brook hadn't known that.

"I see." Robin smiled.

"Fascinating, isn't it."

"Quite." The raven-haired woman concurred.

"Hey! I'm not here for your study!"

"It would seem, Nami, that you have a new predicament you need to discuss." Robin stated to the younger girl who was now standing stiffly with her hands balled into fists.

"I agree." Brook said with a nod that made his afro bounce. "But first…do either of you mind showing me your panties?" The two women reacted very differently; the first rolled her eyes and chuckled to herself while the other punched the poor idiot who never seemed to learn. Perhaps it was his thick skull that made the musician so perfect for the crew. However, though it made the navigator feel a little better, the noise of Brook's punishment also drew the attention of the rest of the crew. One by one they came from within the ship's depths; first Usopp, Sanji, and Chopper appeared, but they were quickly followed by Franky and Luffy.

"What's going on out here? You're louder than Luffy."

"Nami-swannn! Robin-Channn! I'll hold you if your cold! Hey damn skeleton! I'll kill you if you're bothering either of the angels!"

"Oh no! Brook is dead! Nami! You killed him again! Oh no! He's not breathing!"

"You guys better not be breaking my ship again!"

"Oooo! Let's party out here now! Yay! Ha ha ha!"

Nami held her breath as she waited for the swordsman to make his appearance on deck as well, so when the sound of his snores drifted from within the ship, she was relieved. She didn't want to deal with him as well. Even without him present to increase her stress levels she would have to be quick if she was to escape the new problematic situation. Thinking fast, Nami forced herself into action.

"Hey! Nothing's going on. Just some boring chit-chat is all, ha ha! Don't touch me, Sanji. I'm not in the mood. Chopper, the idiot was already dead and is perfectly fine. Franky, the Sunny is in even better condition than Brook. And Luffy…stop swinging from the mast! If you fly into the sea again, _I'm_ not saving you!" She blurted out before taking a deep breath and continuing. "Anyway…I need to talk to Robin, Franky and Brook. About important navigation, archeological, ship and...music…stuff. Nothing interesting. We're going to be in the library…if any of you bother us, you_ will_ be sorry." The last line was spoken with complete seriousness that sent chills down the spines of four crewmembers she was addressing.

"What do you want?" Franky was confused, but allowed himself to be dragged off by the petite girl. Robin followed with an unconscious Brook whom she carried with a multitude of hands.

The door to the library slammed shut behind them and stressed navigator locked it before spinning on her heel to face the group of older adults.

"What's going on? What do we all need to talk about?" The shipwright questioned, his attention turning from Nami to Robin, then back to Nami.

"Brook somehow found out about Nami's secret and now she is panicking." Robin responded calmly.

"I am NOT panicking!" The girl almost screamed. "I'm just…just…I'm just a little worried that certain people will find out at a bad time and things will end badly." She bit her lip and forced herself to calm down. "Nothing I do works. All I'm doing is making things worse."

"Did you try my advice?" Franky questioned.

"Impressing Zoro, the unstoppable and cool-headed swordsman, was a bust from the beginning. There is nothing I can do that can even earn me a "good job" out of him." She grumbled back, her body collapsing onto a cushioned bench. Brook chose that moment to come to.

"My brain was certainly rattled by that one-" He said sitting up, his hand on his skull.

"If you had a brain." The annoyed navigator finished for him and he laughed.

"Good one! You're catching on!" The cheerful undead musician exclaimed as he got to his feet.

"Why is everyone so frustrating?" Nami buried her face in her hands and curled into a ball, her legs lifted from where they dangled so they were pulled up to her chest.

"Calm down, Nami. There is no point in getting depressed." Robin stated almost comfortingly.

"I apologize about telling Robin about how you love Zoro…why is Franky here too? Opps! I just told him as well. My bad."

"Seriously, stop talking. Please." The girl said weekly. "They already knew, so whatever, but you can't say anything about it to anyone else…Not like it matter now though…" Nami continued to hide her face. "I've made my final decision. None of us will ever mention it again and we can all just forget I ever stupidly said anything." She'd just made up her mind that very moment.

"You're quitting again?" Franky gasped, though the depressed girl didn't know why. It was only because of her two older crewmates' advice that she'd continued on hopelessly for as long as she did. The archeologist's reaction was very different; rather than being surprised, she simply sighed in exasperation.

"What is she quitting?" Brook asked causing the other three to give him a very tired look.

"Weren't you listening at all?" The shipwright groaned, emotion pouring from his tone. "She is giving up on ever finding true love! She is so lost in despair that she is giving up all hope of finding happiness." By the time Franky finished he was crying; snot and tears mixed as they met at his triple chin. Noticing that the two females and the skeleton were all staring at him with raised eyebrows, he waved a huge hand. "S-shut up! I'm not crying. I-I have s-something in my eye!" Smiling gently, Robin placed a soothing hand on the large man's shoulder before turning to the younger woman.

"Nami, it's your choice, but we want you to be happy. You are like family." The raven-haired woman said.

"Zoro's family too. Don't you want him to be happy?" The navigator replied.

"He's not the one afraid of pursuing his heart's desire." Nami wasn't sure how to reply, so she remained silent. She looked down and suddenly found the floor boards quite interesting.

"A romance on the crew could make things even more fun." The amused musician chuckled and the girl shook her head; her eyes remained on the wooden planks.

"There will be no romance. Have you ever heard of "it takes two to tango"; for there to be a couple, affection has to be mutual, and that isn't happening. All I have going for me is my looks and that isn't enough to win anyone as amazing as Zoro." He'd never looked at her in any way other than as the annoying but vital ship's navigator.

"Perhaps if you tried seducing him." The skeleton stated and Nami felt her anger rise again for some reason. How many times had she been over this with not only Robin and Franky, but also herself?

"I've already tried everything!" Nami practically yelled, her body shaking with frustration. "Nothing works! I'm too…me!" She waved her arms to indicate her entire self. Brook stared at her with his black sockets; if he had eye lids, he would have blinked at her blankly. It was apparent that she had to go more into detail.

"I tried to get his attention every way I could think of; impressing him, helping him, seducing him, becoming more friendly with him…I screwed it all up! I" Nami was cut off when a bone hand lifted to signal her to stop.

"I see. There's your problem right there." Brook spoke calmly once she was silent.

"What?" The navigator was shocked by his words.

"As a man, nothing makes one feel better than protecting the certain someone who is important to you. I believe that romance is partially born from reliability."

"…" Nami was speechless. She hadn't been expecting such a philosophical response.

"…I think he might have a point there." Franky suddenly said after considering for a moment.

"You sure were easy to persuade." Nami mumbled before turning to the musician.

"Where are you going with it though? Please explain." The Robin inquired, despite already having a good hunch. Taking everyone by surprise, Brook suddenly pulled a guitar out of nowhere and began to hum softly.

Realizing what he planned to do, the red-orange haired female quickly said, "No singing. _Tell_ us." The skeleton sighed deeply, but paused in his movements to pluck the guitar strings.

"Very well, but how about a pot of tea first? Yes?" Robin summoned Sanji with her Devil Fruit powers to fulfill his request. It was only minutes later that he knocked on the library door with the refreshments; cola for Franky and tea to the other three. Though he was curious, the cook left after delivering the drinks without any problems.

The four StrawHats gathered around and sipped their drinks. Nami and Robin sat comfortably on the bench while Franky and Brook used chair the brilliant shipwright built within seconds. The tea tray rested on a small, sturdy table he'd built as well.

Once he was satisfied, Brook crossed his long, thin legs and elegantly touched the tea cup back to the saucer.

"Well, let us begin…" His voice drifted off and Nami leaned forward wondering why he was pausing. She did not have to wait long for her answer. "What were we talking about again?" After a kick to the skull, the musician settled back in his seat again and sipped his tea again. "Ah yes, I remember now. I think you should almost die." His statement made Nami's jaw drop.

"What?"

"I agree." Robin agreed in a nonchalant tone, bringing the poor girl to fall from the bench with shock. Franky could only look between the three completely stumped and a little horrified. He looked like a gaping metal fish as he struggled to comprehend what was just suggested.

"WHAT?" The navigator stared wide eyed between the two as she clutched the fabric of the seat cushions from her spot on the floor. Noticing the problem, the clever woman decided to specify what they meant.

"We mean that you could try being a damsel in distress." Now understanding, the navigator calmed again, though her heart was still racing. For a moment she worried that they were suggesting something drastic and hardcore.

"He is always saving you, yes? Try clinging more when he does." Brook said rearranging his fluffy scarf around his shoulders. Nami could see how it would work; the problem was that he wasn't the only one who jumped to save her. After two years of training she was much stronger, but before the crew's separation, she was rescued by everyone at least once. Franky also didn't jump on board with the idea completely at first.

"How will that work? I prefer a strong woman who is super awesome, so some needy flake won't work." Franky blurted out, not agreeing with the suggestion.

"This isn't about your type!" Nami snapped before thinking about what the musician and the archeologist said. She would ignore his unintentional insult since she didn't feel like hurting her hand on his head again.

"The swordsman may be the type who is drawn to someone who needs him." The older woman said tucking ink-black hair behind her ear. She crossed her legs elegantly and sipped her own tea.

"Oh…I get it…to make him feel more manly." The shipwright's fist hit his palm, signaling his realization.

"That's more of an ego thing." Nami shook her head, but Brook waved his had to swat away her comment.

"If you were reliant on him, it is possible he would grow to consider you his to protect, thus creating an unbreakable bond." Brook stated. "Or something."

"You sound sooo sure of yourself." The navigator said sarcastically. "Anyway, what about the whole mutual reliability thing? _I_ think it is pretty important."

"He already relies on you." Robin suddenly spoke, drawing everyone's attention again. "You are the navigator and you are the one who keeps everyone on track." Franky snorted in concurring amusement.

"Expecially _him_. That man has a _serious _problem. I once found him wondering around below deck one afternoon and I'm pretty sure that he was looking for the bathroom." The shipwright laughed at the memory before looking at the young woman with a new serious expression. "Seriously though, this may be worth a try. Not everyone has the awesome manly taste in women that I do so who knows...you might have a chance."

"…I'm going to pretend that that wasn't a partial insult and instead focus on your main point." Nami replied with a frown. "I guess it couldn't hurt to try. I mean, I can always ruin his life some more right?" Sarcasm dripped from her tone and forced deep frowns onto the faces of her advisors.

"As we said, he's always saving you, so it would just be a normal day for him." Brook said as he moved to pour himself more tea. For the millionth time since she met him, Nami vaguely wondered where everything he consumed went. Shaking the unessisary thought from her mind, the red-orange haired female managed to stand from the floor, not without a bit of effort though (her legs had begun to cramp) and began to pace. She considered her options and couldn't help but doubt her chances of ever succeeding in gaining Zoro's heart. She stopped moving and stared at the desk in the center of the library. The beautiful wood surface was covered with tightly closed ink bottles, blank papers, and both finished and partially complete sea charts. Since she was a child, it was her dream to draw a map of the world, just as it was Zoro's dream to become the greatest swordsman. A majority of the StrawHat Pirates were well on their way to achieving their goals; with her dream almost in her grasp, a new one was born in her heart. She had no doubts about her map, but the yearning for a certain man's attention seemed so impossible to her. She was left grasping for anything in hopes of one day becoming a woman he could look at with fondness. What else could she do?

She was too wishy-washy about everything; she had to make up her mind for the final time. She couldn't keep swinging back and forth between hope and absolute failure. She had to either walk away for the last time or to find her resolve.

Nami turned back to her friends to find them staring at her with a calm expectance. It was obvious that they wouldn't take no for an answer. She was relieved that she had their support, but she couldn't help but wonder if they were even bothering to consider what the green-haired swordsman would want.

Smiling gently, she shifted her weight to one side and brushed her bangs from her eyes.

"Alright…I won't give up." She said and the three smiled contently. They already knew she wouldn't; she always did have trouble letting go of the things she treasured. They'd just been waiting for her to reach her unavoidable conclusion, which some were rather impatient about.

"Finally…I was getting old over here!" Franky blurted out and leaned back in his seat. The chair he sat on groaned in pain at his weight and sheer bulk.

"And that's three strikes, you're out!" Nami wouldn't put up with another snide comment from the cyborg. In a swift and powerful movement, she brought her hand down upon his metal-plated head in a deadly karate-chop. Watching the massive man rub his head, the navigator smirked in satisfaction as she massaged her now sore hand. "Next time I'm using a chair…" she mumbled to herself.

"Are we done here? I believe that the rest is up to you." Robin said standing from her seat.

"No. We're not done…I didn't see either yours or Nami's panties." Brook stated and Nami quickly smacked him as well.

"Well, that concludes out meeting! Thanks guys, you really helped me! I finally found my resolve; now I can stop worrying about what to do and can now focus on how to do it." The navigator said in as chipper of a tone as she could manage. She still felt lost, but remained steadfast on her decision to win over Zoro somehow…she also still believed that even a closer friendship would be enough; him liking her, even just a little bit, was all she could ask for, since she still sort of doubted that she would get anything else. But first, she had to stop being so mopey; no one would want to be near let alone fall for the pathetic mess that she currently was.

"So you're going to purposely get into trouble just so he can save you?" Franky asked, not liking the idea at all. Such a thing would only end badly.

"No. I'm going to hold off on that. I think I will just try to be normal for a few days and relax. I've been feeling kinda tired lately and some extra sleep could do me good. Speaking of sleep…I'm going to bed. It's been a long day. Night guys."

With that, Nami left with Robin to the woman's cabin while Franky and Brook headed to the men's.

* * *

><p>Two days past with the navigator doing exactly as she planned; she slept on deck quite a bit, read occasionally, worked a little on her sea charts, and even managed to fit some nagging in. Though the extensive sleeping was odd, everything else was normal enough to calm the worries of a certain swordsman.<p>

He kept an eye on her in case she started doing something weird again though, such as squawking or growing a tail or an extra head or something. He'd seen stranger things on the Grandline, so he wouldn't be surprised if her behavior was a result of some mutation. He was certain nobody noticed his observing of the navigator…except maybe Robin, but that woman was so darn perceptive that _no one_ could hide _anything_ from her. It was creepy how she just smiled serenely whenever she looked at him or Nami, like she knew something and was perfectly content to simply keep it from everyone else. Honestly…she was almost as bad as that witch of a navigator.

It was not long until Zoro noticed other crewmembers acting weird as well. First was Franky who would grin and give Nami the thumbs up whenever he noticed that she was nearby. The strangest was Brook though, who kept doing odd, jerky movements with his head every time he saw her. After much confusion among those who witnessed the phenomena, Usopp finally asked what he was doing.

"Why, I'm winking at her of course!" The skeleton musician declared. The whole concept itself was ridiculous considering he didn't have any eyelids, which Usopp then kindly pointed out. "Oh! You're right! 'Cause I'm nothing but bones! Yo ho ho ho!" Why he would repeatedly wink at the temperamental and annoying woman was beyond Zoro. It was apparent that the girl herself was doing her best to ignore the two older crewmates especially. He also couldn't help but notice though, that she was avoiding him even more; it was as if she was slightly afraid of him or something. Had she finally come to her senses and was embarrassed over how bizarre she'd been acting before?

Currently, both he and Nami were resting on the upper deck with Luffy, Chopper and Usopp playing cards nearby. Robin was crouched over her flowerbed, tending her little garden with tenderness. Everyone else was…well, who cared where they were. As long as nothing was blowing up and the ship was in one piece then what they were doing was of no concern of his. Besides, wherever they were, they were probably simply trying to quell their boredom while not overheating.

The day was hot; the crew's lack of clothing made the fact apparent even more. All the males on the crew had taken off their shirts while the females dressed in shorts and bikini tops. There was a wind, but it was warm and slow. In the end, the day was simply too scorching for even Zoro to sleep. Despite all that though, somehow Nami managed to curl up in some shade and drift off. The girl had to be terribly exhausted to be able to sleep in the heat. From his seat on deck, Zoro could see her snuggled in a lawn chair under her tangerine trees. Though the trees already did a decent job of keeping the sun from burning her, Sanji had still brought a giant umbrella and stood it next to her so her creamy porcelain skin would remain so.

Zoro found himself feeling rather envious of the brat; if only he could escape the uncomfortable heat somewhat with a nap as well. Sighing, he ran a calloused hand through his sweat-soaked green hair. At least it was short, unlike the women's; they tied their long hair up off their necks as best as they could, but he could still tell that stray stands had escaped to rest annoyingly around their shoulders.

The First Mate shifted his position slightly and debated heading to the kitchen to see if the cook had ice he could borrow, but the thought was quick to leave his mind. Something was wrong. His gut itched in warning that something troublesome was about to happen. He turned his head to look out over the water sonly to notice that it was abnormally dark around the area under the ship…as if something was directly below. With a grim expression, Zoro growled softly in annoyance. It was too hot for this! He moved to get up anyway since he had to protect the crew.

"Luffy! We've got trouble!" He called out a warning just before several large tentacles burst from the water around the Sunny on all sides.

"Surume?" Luffy questioned as he stood from where he Usopp and Chopper had been playing their game.

"I doubt this is your pet, Luffy." Robin responded as she too stood to assist in defending the ship. "Besides, judging by this creature's tentacles size, it is smaller by quite a bit." The sharpshooter and doctor, who'd been hoping it was their Captain's little pet from Fishman Island, panicked at the woman's statement and began to dash around screaming. A little gasp from the navigator who'd just woken up and noticed the tentacles as they began to snake across the deck in search of prey. Zoro scowled; it really was too hot for this.

* * *

><p>Nami was startled awake from her already troubled sleep by Zoro's voice. Normally she wouldn't have minded if only his tone hadn't held such agitation and warning in it. She was taking her time to pull her groggy self together when the annoying screams of Chopper and Usopp forced her alert. Growing pretty annoyed herself, her eyes snapped open to see large, grey tentacles waving through the air and feeling their way along the Sunny's deck. Too surprised to scream, a frightened gasp escaped from her lips. After a quick moment, Nami snapped out of her fear and remembered she could fight this thing too. Luffy, Zoro, Robin, Usopp, and Chopper were all standing strong, though the latter two still a little panicky. Pulling her Clima Tact from where she'd shoved it into her bikini top, she snapped it together and jumped to her feet. The hot air stung her lungs as she brought her staff down on a tentacle that was unlucky enough to get too close.<p>

The thing pulled away in surprise from the jab, but Nami knew it hadn't hurt; it was a little warm up on her part; a warning. Meanwhile, she took note of Luffy laughing like a madman while he clung to another tentacle that was violently thrashing around in an attempt to get him off while Usopp and Chopper continued to dash around looking for a target of their own that Zoro hadn't cut to little bits yet. Robin appeared to be bored as she watched the spectacle, though it was also apparent that she was amused as well.

"Hey Robin!" Nami said walking over to her as the limb she'd smacked got in the swordsman's personal space and was thus separated from the creature below. "Is it just me or does Zoro seem more enthusiastic then usual?" She asked as she watched the extremity twitch on the deck. To put it honestly, Zoro seemed pretty pissed.

"I would say he does seem so." The archeologist replied as she continued to look on. "It also appears we are not needed in this fight."

"Yeah-" Nami slowly agreed, but the word caught in her mouth when one of the few remaining appendages wrapped around Chopper, who was in mid-jump after dodging at the time, and held him captive. "Oh no! Chopper!" Nami racer forward and attacked the tentacle with a weak lightning attack so she wouldn't hurt Chopper as well. The small reindeer was flung up until he was over the water before falling toward what would be his doom.

"I got him!" Robin called out as her arms sprouted from the ship's railing like a net, but Nami was still needed; the thing had recovered from the shock and was moving to recapture the doctor. Robin managed to toss him in time, but it wasn't far enough to reach the ship. Nami racer forward, flung the top half of her body over the railing, and only barely caught Chopper before he could land in the Grandline. The young woman held him safely in her arms for a moment and was about to pull herself upright again when she felt something slimy wrap around her middle. She was already being lifted off the deck when she realized the tentacle had grabbed her in place of the little fuzz-ball. Her Clima Tact fell with a metallic clang onto the wooden boards of the Sunny and she quickly tossed Chopper so he was out of harm's way on the ship. Now she was captured, weaponless, and hanging over the dangerous waters of the sea. It was three seconds later after being caught that she realized the final disturbing fact: _it was touching her bare skin! It felt disgusting_! And worse, it _smelled_ of _dead fish_! _Ewww_! Yuck, yuck, yuck! How would she ever get the stink off of her skin?

"Let go of me!" She yelled. She felt it shake her around until her head began to hurt slightly. The girl reluctantly placed her hands on the disgusting-feeling thing to support herself better. With the help of her arms, she managed to keep herself from moving in a bad way and injuring herself as she was whipped around erratically. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a hint of green and before she could even think, her eyes screwed shut, her mouth opened wide, and she yelled, "HELP!" with everything she had.

* * *

><p>Zoro was impressed…or at least pleased by Nami's bravery. He had been about to save Chopper himself when she rushed forward past him and saved the little doctor. Sure she had Robin's help and she was also then grabbed by the creature herself, but he still admired the fact that she would do something so dangerous when two years before she would have simply told him to go to the rescue instead. Sadly, he'd been so busy thinking that he hadn't moved to help her until she screamed. Cursing how stupidly slow he was, he stepped forward, but a black and blond blur flew past him before he could act.<p>

* * *

><p>Sanji heard the commotion the moment it started, but like all others who were busy doing whatever they were doing inside the ship, he decided to just let the ones on deck to handle it. The way he saw it, since he was already slaving away in the even hotter kitchen for them, the moss-head and the idiot-Captain could handle it without him for once. When he heard Nami's scream for help though, he dropped what he was doing and ran from the galley. He didn't bother with the stairs and instead jumped to the upper deck. The fiery passionate cook only saw Nami in the grasp of some lucky tentacle and he saw red. Fire spewed from his ears and his anger brought out his inner demon; instinctively he charged forward, taking no notice of anything else that was happening (except Robin of course, who looked stunning in her bikini and skirt).<p>

A passionate kick would have freed Nami, if the creature hadn't decided at that moment that waving its limbs around was only getting them chopped off, and pulled them back into the safety of the sea. However, the girl was still in its hold and went in as well.

Like a bull seeing red, Sanji did not hesitate to follow the fleeing sea monster; he dove into the Grandline and it was not long until he chased down then kicked a sea lion with a chopped-up tentacle beard into the air. Luffy and Zoro took things from there while Sanji grabbed Nami and pulled her to the surface.

* * *

><p>Nami sputtered as her head met fresh air. He'd saved her? Could Brook's idea actually be a good one? For a moment she'd been sure that her time as navigator was over…expecially when she saw the sea lion with dozens of tentacles sprouting from its chin like a beard through the haze of sea water. But then she was pulled from the thing's grasp and an arm wrapped around her. Coughing up water, the navigator recalled what she was told two days before…that when Zoro saved her, she should cling to him more. She supposed it meant grab him and cry and confess her fear to him, but that just didn't seem like her thing. Perhaps if she just acted very grateful instead…<p>

Nami put on her brightest smile; it wasn't difficult. All she had to do was think about how Zoro's arm was tightly around her waist holding her up as he swam them back to the ship. She turned her head with the intention of saying "Thank you, Zoro" with true gratitude when she saw who it was who actually saved her.

"S-Sanji?" She gasped. Not Zoro…It was Sanji who saved her and pulled her to the surface. It was Sanji who had blood gushing from his nose and as stupid perverted grin on his face as he supported her. It was Sanji's arm that was around her waist…his hand resting on her hip and feeling her bare skin… "HEY!" The young woman felt her anger rise and boil over instantly. She punched the cook with everything she had and sent him flying. "Idiot, watch the hands!" She swam the rest of the way herself. Why didn't she notice sooner? Now that she thought about it, Zoro's arms are much thicker with muscle and he also doesn't treat her like a porcelain doll. She should have realized that it wasn't him instantly.

Once she was on board the Thousand Sunny again, Nami's eyes landed on the First Mate who was sheathing his precious swords with a content expression. His frustration over the day's heat was calmed somewhat with the fight, though it was still too hot.

"Nami-Swan!" The blonde cook's voice echoed over the deck. "Are you alright, my dearest?" He dashed over to her after pulling himself onto the deck. Too mad to even speak, all the copper-haired female could manage was a death glare that made Chopper dive for cover behind the Zoro. She moved to where her weapon had fallen when she'd accidentally dropped it.

She felt a moment of guilt as she walked away from him; he _had_ just saved her. However, he'd ruined her chance to be rescued by the man she was desperately trying to get closer to.

"She's fine." The swordsman said, rolling his eyes. The moss-head's voice interrupted the cook's fantasy of a truly thankful Nami and Robin expressing their gratitude to him, thus pissing him off. Sanji, now spewing flames again, spun to face his rival.

"No thanks to you and Luffy! If you two weren't playing around and took care of the sea monster immediately, Nami never would have been put in danger!"

"Impossible…we're on the Grandline. There is no such thing as 'safe' here." Usopp said from the sidelines, earning himself a little kick.

"I had fun when it waved me through the air. It was like I was flying." The enthusiastic Captain chipped in.

"Then you and Luffy didn't even bother to save her!" Sanji yelled at Zoro. Overhearing what he said, Nami paused as she bent over to gather her Clima Tact. The swordsman's response calmed her aching heart though.

"I would have. Anyway, she's fine, so what's the big deal?" He would have saved her…Nami was glad that he'd been about to. It was a start.

"The big deal is-" Sanji began, but Luffy interrupted him.

"Hey, Sanji! Could you make some food from these things?" He question, lifting a tentacle over his head and slime dripped onto him. He didn't even notice. Sanji pulled out a cigarette and lit it as he stared at the thing in his Captain's arms.

"I guess I can." He said after a moment.

"…that's kind of gross." Usopp said poking one of the other dismembered appendages with a piece of wood from a broken railing. He jumped back with a small shriek when it twitched slightly.

"Eek! Really Gross!" Chopped agreed as he huddled around the green-haired man's foot.

"I wonder what it would taste like. I bet it would be nice and squishy. Chewy?" The insane Captain wondered out loud, causing the people around him to rub their temples and sigh. "I wish the sea lion thingy was still around so I could taste it too."

"I don't know if these tentacles are edible. They could be poisonous." Robin said helpfully from the background. Sanji spun around immediately and dance to her side.

"You're so brilliant, Robin-Chan!" He sang.

"That means anyone with the slime on them could die." The archeologist added and everyone paused to think. Every single one of them, save Robin, was covered in the stuff. Upon realization, Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy all screamed and ran around waving their arms in a panic while Zoro laughed; he always accepted death when it was unavoidable. Sanji forgot he was also coated in a thick layer of slime and sobbed over Nami. The navigator however, felt fine and doubted death was an issue at the moment. The slime was just gross, nothing else.

"Enough!" Nami yelled, successfully getting everyone's attention. They froze in place and looked at her. "We're not going to die, but that thing _did_ make a huge mess!" Slime and severed limbs were everywhere. "I'm going to get cleaned up, and when I'm done, I want this place spotless!" With that, she turned and marched in the direction of the women's quarters for a change of clothes. A long, cool bath was one of the main things on her mind at the moment; the other big thing was that Zoro would have saved her if Sanji hadn't butted in. She was sure of it. Next time…she was sure there would be because there always was…next time she would somehow make sure that Zoro would be the one to come to her rescue. Considering her track record of attracting trouble, it was only a matter of time until something happened that she could use to her advantage.

With the navigator gone from sight, Chopper turned to Robin and asked her in a worried tone, "Will we really die, Robin?"

"I was only kidding. Though only you can truly say for sure." The dark-haired woman replied with a smile.

"That's some sense of humor you've got there…" Usopp muttered.

"Anyway…you guys better get to work. Nami said spotless." Zoro said with a hint of humor in his tone. He strolled over to a relatively slime-free area and sat down. He would try getting a little shut eye again since he'd done his job and cleaning wasn't his thing. Meanwhile, Sanji headed back to the kitchen with a tentacle to cook up for Luffy and Robin wondered off to the library. The Captain, sharpshooter, and doctor all got busy unenthusiastically scrubbing the ship; they ended up singing as they worked which did brighten their spirits some.

With fresh clothes, Nami left her room for the bathroom. She smiled at the off tune singing, but turned her head so no one would see. 'They're all still the same…I really love my boys.' She thought to herself as she left them to their work. Now she just had to get a certain one to love her back.


	8. Chapter 8: Just A Little Bit

_It has been ages since I last updated anything. I'm really late…sorry about that…I've been busy, though I won't bore you with the details. Anyway, here's chapter 8, finally finished. Yay! Thank you for being patient and for reading this story and extra thanks to those who review. I'll try to update again as soon as possible; I need to get my game on! But school comes first. Until next time, bye!_

Chapter 8: Just A Little Bit

Nami frowned as she squinted out through the thick fog toward the massive outline of an island. Though it looked like a giant mushroom, the log pose _was_ pointing to it. The shape of the large mass that they were approaching had a thin base but expanded to an umbrella-like top that coated the sea in shadow. The navigator could only hope that it had food on it since Luffy's unparalleled hunger had once more left the ship and crew with lower provisions. Thanks to Sanji, they were far from starving, but Luffy was starting to complain about his cutback of meat.

The salt-scented breeze brushed her cheek as the girl pulled away from the railing she was leaning against. The entire crew lined the deck in an excited jumble, each pointing and exclaiming predictions about the island that ranged from ridiculous to disturbing; Luffy's hopes for what he saw as adventure was particularly alarming. Nami did her best to ignore them and focus on the matter at hand. Stepping over and around the younger members of the crew, Nami moved to stand at the Sunny's bow to consult the wisest crewmate.

"Robin, have you heard anything about this place?" She asked her sister-figure. The older woman glanced at her before looking back at the protruding form.

"No, I don't believe I have. But from what I can see from here, there's a reef further in as well as wrecked ships lining the base."

"Yeah, I noticed that myself." The fog hid much, but the navigator's trained eye could still observe quite a bit.

"If I am correct, it also looks as if there are some ruins on the island." Robin added and Nami spun to look at the mushroom-shaped form once more. She didn't know what the archeologist was looking at, but it certainly wasn't the same smooth-looking surface she was. No matter how hard she squinted, Nami couldn't see even the slightest indication of ruins anywhere on the mushroom-island. She was about to ask Robin where the ruins were when Luffy declared as loud as he could that the ship was to head straight ahead to the island and the navigator was forced to react before the idiot got them all sunk.

"No!" She yelled marching up to him with the intention of yet again attempting to explain a bit of sense into him. "Listen, there is a reef surrounding the island and creating some tricky currents. If we aren't careful, the Sunny could capsize."

Luffy blinked at her for a moment before shouting, "Onward!_ Not_ straight forward to the mushroom!" Nami shook he head; despite her knowing full-well that verbally explaining anything to Luffy was basically impossible, she always ended up trying to anyway.

"Uh…Luffy, maybe you should just let Nami handle things from here." Usopp said from a couple feet away.

"I agree." Chopper chimed in shakily, obviously visualizing the worst possible outcome. "This place is so scary."

Nami rolled her eyes as the reindeer got himself all worked up; consequently leaving himself wide open for teasing. To the navigator's surprise, it was the First Mate who responded.

"I bet it's cursed." Zoro said with a wicked grin. His eyes fell into shadow for an increase of dramatic effect. Nami's shiver, unlike Usopp, Chopper, and Brook's, was not due to fear. The comedic trio dropped their jaws in a silent scream before engaging in a quivering group hug, catching the attention of their adventure (trouble)-loving Captain. He blinked toward the group with interest while Robin smiled beside Nami.

"C-c-cursed…?" They squeaked out in unison, fear dripping from them and encouraging the bored swordsman on.

"Oh yes…a curse that demands the souls of all who dare to trespass and claims them in the most horrific and unspeakable ways." He chuckled darkly. Sanji smirked from his place between Robin and Franky as he took a long drag from his cigarette. He swaggered over, a cruel grin of his own spreading across his face.

"And all who fall prey to the island's curse become trapped forever…wandering the island until they drift too close to the edge and plummet to the seas below where they search for unsuspecting sailors to pull to their deaths." The Cook joined in. Nami frowned at the two males as they calmly smiled at their shivering and crying handiwork. Thinking that they'd had enough fun at other's expense she decided to put an end to their little joke.

"That's enough! There is no curse." She said firmly, catching everyone's attention. "Quit scaring them, guys. It isn't helping." Sanji cheerfully agreed while Zoro huffed in mild disappointment.

"Are you sure, Nami?" Chopper stuttered out, his eyes wide with fear and uncertainty.

"Yes, I'm sure." Her head nodded as she folded her arms as if to signify the end of the matter.

"Then what's that?" Luffy asked. Nami glanced over her shoulder to see him pointing toward the island where dark shapes obscured by the fog could be barely made out as they fell from the high cliffs above.

"Could it be…cursed souls plunging into the sea…?" Robin asked in a foreboding tone, joining in the game as well.

After that, it took Nami ten minutes to get Usopp and Chopper to stop running around screaming all the while fending off Brook who kept asking if he could see her panties before he died…again. Eventually the navigator lost her temper and yelled at them to sit down and to shut up; Franky reminded them that the fiery female along with the three monsters of the crew were much scarier than anything they could possibly find ashore. Nami left a good sized lump on the cyborg's skull for his comment. Turning back to Robin, Nami wasted no time in expressing her irritation at the older woman's earlier jest.

"Honestly, I wouldn't mind you joking around if you didn't sound so serious while doing it. And I would appreciate a little support here!"

"My apologies, but since we know next to nothing about this island, all possibilities must be kept in mind. As it is, I suggest we wait for tomorrow morning to approach then explore in groups." Robin replied. The slight curl of her lips into a wily smile made Nami pause for a moment. Something was going through the archeologist's head; Nami couldn't help but wonder what it was and whether or not it had something to do with her, yet couldn't quite bring herself to ask.

She agreed with the older woman before turning back to the energetic males gathered. Convincing them to go along with plans was always reasonably simple; Nami just left lumps on the heads of those who refused. Luffy was the only one she had to worry about actively running off alone no matter what he might agree to, or _think_ he agreed to, but he could not reach the island without transportation and any attempt to go alone would only end badly for him. Even he knew it.

After dropping anchor away from the reef, the crew dispersed towards their beds, save for Brook who had the first shift of night-watch duty. The girls were getting settled for the night when the loud snores of their Captain echoed through the walls, making them pause and sigh in unison. Not five minutes before he had been complaining that he was too excited to sleep and would be up all night wondering about what adventures awaited them. Obviously sleep was not an issue for him after all; everyone else on the other hand couldn't seem to escape the disturbing snores, no matter how many pillows were piled over their heads.

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The next morning, though filled with excitement, was still obscured by the foreboding fog which refused to rise with the sun. At least they assumed it rose despite not being able to see it. The calls of the rarely-early riser Captain startled the crew from their restless sleep. Nami crawled out of bed last feeling tired and irritable; nobody minded as they all felt similarly (except for the Captain of course). Once dressed in brown short shorts and a plain red tank top, she marched barefoot out of her cabin with shoes in hand and swung the heals down as hard as she could on Luffy's head.

"Owww!" He whined. "Why has everyone hit me this morning?!" Seven sets of eyes with dark circles shading them along with a set of empty eye sockets turned to glare at him in response. Still clueless, he grinned and inquired about breakfast, which Sanji turned to prepare with a huff of annoyance and a puff of cigarette smoke.

While eating, Robin explained the details of her plan mentioned the night before; she decided that they should break up into two teams of four while one crew member would remain to watch over the Sunny. Luffy didn't really care about particulars and just wanted to explore the 'giant mystery mushroom," as he dubbed the island, and jumped on board without a problem. Then again, he normally did before running off and ruining all carefully formed plans.

They drew straws in order to decide the teams. Zoro, who'd perked up slightly at the possibly of remaining on the ship alone, probably thinking he could use the time and quiet to catch up on the sleep he missed the night before, sighed in resignation when he ended up on the same team as Nami, Brook, and Chopper.

Glancing at Robin, who was teamed with Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji, Nami wondered if she had set up the teams this way on purpose. The older woman certainly was clever and sneaky enough to rig the drawing of the straws without anybody noticing. Sanji was with Robin and thus would be kept pacified while at the same time keep Luffy somewhat under control. With Franky watching the ship, the navigator couldn't have asked for a better set up.

Usopp on the other hand, despite having Luffy, Robin, and Sanji grouped with him, was not happy with the arrangements as much, preferring to remain on the ship with Franky.

"I don't think I should go…my I-can't-go-on-the-island disease is acting up again. Besides, Franky might need help here." He laughed nervously.

"Oh, come now, Long Nose. I am sure Franky can handle everything just fine on his own. Besides, this is a once in a life time opportunity." Robin drawled out. "Think of all the different plants you might discover up there; you have an interest in that sort of thing, correct?"

"Y-yeah…but…the ones I use are from…"

"Don't be such a baby." Nami chimed while accepting the lunch box Sanji handed to her. Normally she would pawn everything off on someone else to carry, but she doubted that was the way to win Zoro's affection since out of her three chosen companions, he was one most likely to end up with the extra burden. Then again, wasn't the plan to show him how she relied on him?

While Nami debated who should carry her lunch, Sanji finished his rounds handing out the boxes, even to Franky since guarding the ship was the most important task of all. Usopp fell into a whimpering lump on the deck while he gazed out toward the rocky shore. Robin, with Luffy being Luffy and Nami distracted, spoke up.

"There looks to be a series of caves at the base of the island which I believe might lead to the top."

"What makes you think that?" Chopper asked blinking up at the older woman, who smiled down at him, though it was Nami who answered.

"Robin noticed ruins on the island. People would need some way to get up and down and stairs or something inside of the caves seemed like a logical enough answer."

"If it is not the case, finding another rout up should be simple enough." Robin added. "There are multiple openings that I observed which also lead me to the conclusion of two large groups. Plus, this way we can cover more ground since Nami and Chopper have side goals planned. We can keep in touch with mini transponder snails."

"What do you guys have planned?" Franky wondered, not noticing the surprised expressions on the faces of two mentioned members.

Recalling a late night conversation she'd had with Robin after giving up on sleep, Nami nodded and relaxed slightly. "This island is very unique in case none of you noticed. I might need a little more time getting the geological details I need for the map. And I figure Chopper might like the time to study the wildlife; I know he is always open to looking for new medicines. It's a good thing we ended up on the same team, isn't it Chopper?" She asked turning to the little reindeer. He blushed at the affection lacing her tone and rubbed his hooves together shyly.

"Shut up…though it is true." He mumbled smiling.

"This way we can take our time without having to worry about Luffy getting bored." _Plus I get a moment of peace from Sanji so I can get closer to Zoro_. Still gripping her lunch box, Nami glanced at the swordsman, blushing when he noticed.

He frowned, confused once more by her behavior. Normally she would toss everything except for her most precious equipment at him or someone else to carry immediately, yet all she'd done all morning was sneak glances at him. His frown deepened as his eye twitched. Was he seriously getting agitated by the lack of her pushy, annoying attitude? In that moment he decided that whatever was bothering Nami must be more serious than he'd originally thought; it had started shortly after leaving Fishman Island, though when he thought about it, he could recall her sneaking glances at him since the crew was reunited after two years. He wondered if perhaps something had happened during the separation; if someone had done something to her during that time frame? Whatever the case was, the First Mate figured normality to be the best comfort he could offer at the time, or at all since she was so reserved when it came to emotion (normally). He'd have to talk to Robin since the two were so close; she might know something. That talk was going to have to wait though. Grunting in resignation, Zoro snatched the box from her hands, as well as Chopper's and Brook's since it was only fair, and stored them in his supply pack.

"Why did you do that?" Nami asked as she watched him hoist his bag onto his back as if it didn't weight a thing.

"I can tell when you want something." He replied, promptly shutting her up, though he was not sure why it would. And there went her face getting all red again. What was her problem? Was it from anger? His line of thought was thrown off by Usopp's loud shout.

"Hey! Wait a sec! If Chopper is studying stuff, I really don't think I need to go too!"

"Quite being such a baby." Sanji mimicked Nami's earlier words.

"Quiet you! I'm staying right here!" Usopp declared, as if that was the end of the matter. The swordsman's words caused him to pause in his resolution however.

"That sure is brave of you staying out here in the fog, not being able to see if and when something attacks. On the other hand, what will the others do without you there to protect them? Expecially the cook?" Zoro smirked while Sanji fumed.

Nami stepped forward before another argument could break out. "Why don't we head out? I think we're all set."

Nami, expecting to hear at least her Captain's cheer at her words, was surprised when he instead said, "Hey Robin, I don't see any caves. How can you tell?" Luffy was leaning one the Sunny's railing squinting out toward the island.

"They're the dark spots." She supplied in words he could understand.

"Oh. I see now." He said before pulling his arms back. Recognizing the motion as one signaling that he was about to shoot himself across the water, Usopp dove on top of him.

"Hold it! You are not running off!" In the seconds beforehand, Usopp had come to the conclusion that being on a team with Luffy, Sanji, and Robin was probably even safer than staying on the ship after all, so despite still not wanting to go, he fixed himself to staying safely in the group no matter what. Unless, of course, he could convince someone else to remain on the ship as well, which was doubtful.

Luffy gave up trying to cross on his own when the idea of riding the Mini Merry was introduced, despite Nami refusing to let him drive. The jagged rocks and rough currents were too much for anyone less than a professional to handle.

Three boat trips later, the Mini Merry was left patiently on the shore, Franky on the ship, and the group was gathered before two cave mouths. One was tall and narrow compared to the wider and rounder shape of the other. Both were dark and eerie, expecially with the animal wails echoing through them. Damp, cold air breathing out from deep within the caves made Nami's hair stand on end. She shivered between Chopper and Brook while Zoro stood lazily before them without a care in the world. As always he was confident; that confidence calmed the navigator somewhat enough to get her act together.

Taking a long, deep breath, she addressed her crewmates, "Alright, this time we're playing it safe. Robin, Franky, and I all have mini transponder snails, so if there is an emergency, call." Nami glanced to the other cluster of pirates. "Any questions?"

"Where's Luffy?" Sanji looked around, bringing a squeal of dread from Usopp.

"Over here!" The Captain's called jollily from behind a boulder where he was gathering driftwood from the sea. It had probably fallen from upper part of the island before being dragged back inward by the currents. Or it was from a sunken ship.

A relieved sigh escaped everyone present, though they all knew it was just a matter of time when it came to their Captain.

"Are there any other questions?"

Usopp, huddled behind Robin as he shivered in his boots with his eyes wide and teary, rose his hand.

"Can we go back?" He sniffled. Nami frowned and Zoro snorted in amusement.

"Honestly, Usopp, if you don't want to be here then why did you come?" The swordsman asked.

"You said you were going to stay on the ship anyway." The young woman teased.

"Why would I stay behind when everyone else is going?! Even if this place is scary, it's safer in numbers!" A loud screech of a bat echoing through the closest cave mouth and brought a yelp from his throat as he ducked behind Sanji. "It's safer in numbers!" He squealed.

"Yeah, right." Nami adjusted her pack of measuring equipment, her head held high.

"By the way Nami, how come you're so fine with this place?" Usopp questioned, noticing that she stood tall when normally she would be just as cautious about their surroundings as he.

"Because I trust my team with my life." She declared proudly. In truth she was doing everything in her power to ignore the frightening animal wails from the upper part of the island and the chilling whistling of the wind around the caves. Her words were meant to show Zoro that she trusted him, but Chopper and Brook ended up with the swelled egos instead.

Dodging happy and embarrassed comments from the two, the navigator turned to the group and declared, "Alright! That's enough dawdling! Let's move out! We'll go this way and you'll go whatever way Luffy wandered off in." She spun on her heal and marched off with her group in tow while Usopp and Sanji glanced around, noticing that their Captain was missing for real.

After a brief moment of silence that followed, Sanji grumbled, "Arg, come on…where'd that idiot go this time?"

"He wandered off in that direction only moments ago. Follow me." Robin said smiling. The two males obeyed, one gleefully while the other sobbed with the realization he was one protector less. Perhaps he should have stayed on the ship after all…

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Franky grinned as he casually leaned against the Sunny's rail. Though he was alone and could barely make out the outline of the island on which his friends were on through the fog, his chest swelled with smug pride. He, Robin, and Brook had secretly discussed how to bring the Navigator and the First Mate together a couple of nights before and had formed a plan. Robin suggested not bringing Nami in on the details because lately she was overthinking things to the point of losing confidence and embarrassing herself. It was Franky's idea to rig the drawing of the straws though. Brook's job was to keep Copper occupied so the other half of that particular group could get some alone time. Nami attracted trouble, whether she meant to or not; being the only one there, Zoro would step in to protect her if (or rather when) it was necessary. All Nami had to do was be grateful and look cute while doing it. Surely she could do that?

Franky's expression stiffened slightly as he tried to not think too much on that last thought. He could only hope that the Swordsman recognized the clumsy displays of emotion that were sure to come from the girl for what they truly were.

With a soft grunt, the Shipwright straightened, his massive arms stretching above his head. Bare feet padded across the deck's lawn toward the aft; he paused before entering the galley. A fresh grin stretched across his face as he declared his matchmaking skills to be 'SUUPPEEEERRRR!"

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"Slow down, guys! You're going too fast!" Nami whined as her foot slipped for the umpteenth time and she had to grip the cold, slimy wall to keep from falling. They were in the tall narrow cave. About twenty feet inside, the ground had begun to rise and circle around like a spiral, signifying that they had found what seemed like the way up. Chopper, who was in his deer form, carried a lantern that Nami had thought to bring in his mouth while Zoro and Brook trudged along behind him. Nami brought up the rear, steadily falling further and further behind with each careful step until she was at the edge of the light circling the group. Zoro sighed and glanced back at her.

"You know, you wouldn't have so much trouble if you wore sensible footwear."

Nami pouted, "My shoes are not the problem; you all just have longer legs then me."

"Oh, then our long legs are the reason you keep falling all over the place?"

"I have not fallen over!" Nami growled, knowing the other three were thinking that it was only a matter of time. "B-besides, you're all going so fast that I have to practically run to keep up and…and…and…" The smirk on the swordsman's face was the last straw. "And Brook's wearing heals too yet _he's_ perfectly fine, so shoes are _not_ the problem!" She shouted thrusting her finger in the skeleton's direction. Despite not having a face, Brook managed to look surprised.

"I would be very much obliged if you would refrain from including me in this discussion." He said, quickly turning and continuing on with Chopper who at least looked hesitant, though it could have been because of the devious glint in the Musician's eye socket. "But since you care so much Zoro, you could carry her and the problem would be solved." Brook sang over his shoulder much to Nami's horror.

Zoro, who had been mentally patting himself on the back for getting her to bicker with him as she normally did, froze at the suggestion.  
>"Hey, why should I have to?!" He shouted, but his only reply was the echo of footsteps and, strangely enough, Brook's maniacal laughter. Frowning, he glanced toward Nami, noticing her face was red again.<p>

_Great_, he thought, _now she's angry_.

Yet she did not yell or stomp, just turned redder with every passing moment. Zoro recalled the time when she was ill, thinking that perhaps she was sick again and not angry after all. She always put up a brave front around others, though he'd think that at some point she would trust him and the rest enough to not have to.

Zoro shifted his weight, feeling rather awkward. It was his duty as both the First Mate and their friend to take care of the rest of the crew when Luffy was not around. Nami, being who she was, required a gentle approach for certain obvious reasons based on both her own personality as well as how a certain cook would hassle him later if Nami was dissatisfied enough to complain.

Zoro debated his next move carefully but quickly before finally speaking up, "Look, if you're not feeling well, I guess I could…"

"I-I'm fine." She quickly interrupted, refusing to meet his gaze.

He didn't buy it. Nami was not like him or the others. She was…more delicate; always getting sick, or hurt, or (even more frequently) kidnapped. "Are you sure?" If she was sick, even with Chopper with them, things would turn bad for the little exploration party quickly; of that he had no doubt considering past experiences. Nami, on the other hand, apparently disagreed.

"I said I'm fine!" She shouted and dashed away after the retreating figures. Confused, the Swordsman scratched his head vigorously. Her body may be more susceptible to things such as illness or injury, but her spirit more than made up for it. Her mood swings didn't help matters much. Perhaps he was not subtle enough is his offer of help. Zoro groaned at the task ahead of him as he resolved himself once more to keeping a close eye on the oddly-behaving navigator, then followed the retreating female.

Nami wanted to bash Brook on the skull and Zoro's steady footsteps behind her only reinforced that desire. He had been fine with carrying her which did make her happy, yet at the same time it was not a good thing. She knew that her rapid heartbeat, sweaty palms, and red face would be all the more noticeable to him if she was pressed against his back, or even worse, in his arms! It would be totally different from every other time he'd carried her in the past.

Nami wanted to smack herself for behaving like a lovesick teenager when she wasn't. She was a lovesick _adult_. She should be able to handle the situation in a mature, thought-out way, just as she handles everything else. Instead, what she wanted to do and what she was actually capable of were two separate things when it came to her emotions.

If only she was able to just go along with being carried as she would normally…or perhaps it wasn't normal for her after all… The navigator shook her head, but the cloud of confusion only worsened. What was even normal for her anymore? How was she supposed to behave?!

Muffled mumbling pulled Nami's attention from her personal problems and to reindeer in the front of the group.

"What was that, Chopper? Did you say something?"

He started mumbling once more, but to no avail. Brook twirled his cane around on a boney finger, "We cannot understand you."

"Put down the lamp, Chopper." Zoro added.

The reindeer spat his burden onto the ground, placing a hoof on it so it did not fall over, and nodded his head ahead of them.

"I said, 'I see a light'." Sure enough, when Nami shifted her gaze to stare further into the darkness, a faint glow shimmered obscurely further along.

"We can't be near the top of the island this soon." Zoro stepped beside Nami, sending a shiver down her spine. Whether the Swordsman had noticed or not, the girl could not say. She swallowed thickly, shaking her head.

"That's because we're not. That's just light reflected on rocks and water. We're probably not too far though." Nami shifted the pack on her shoulders and tossed her head to flip her bangs from her eyes.

"I see." Brook tapped his cane on the ground absently, the eerie glow of the lamp setting the whiteness of his bones in a way that made him look sinister. Nami shivered, getting the sudden feeling that he was about to say something she would make him regret. "Will you be fine going the rest of the way on foot, Nami? I'm sure that Zoro would be happy to carry you-" He cut off when the navigator growled, her eye twitching dangerously. She marched up to Brook, grabbed a fistful of his afro, and yanked him down so the area where his ear should have been was near her mouth. "YOU ARE NOT HELPING!"

The shriek echoed all around them. Though Zoro and Chopper's ears rung, Brook found himself simply glad that he did not have eardrums or they surely would have burst. Pulling away, Nami glanced at the others and gave them a sweet smile with a pretty blush dusting her cheeks, then turned and continued on down the tunnel.

"I think my eardrums burst…except I don't have any! Cause I'm all bones! Yo ho ho ho!" Brook recovered first and the other two sighed in acceptance. After a moment he added, "Do you think she would feel better if she showed me her panties…?" He fixed his top hat before promptly losing his head when a tan, healed sandal collided with the side of his skull.

"Right, I guess I'll go barefoot for a bit." Nami chimed. "You guys better bring my shoe. And hurry up."

Despite everything, Zoro felt relieved Nami was acting more like her normal temperamental, bossy self.

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"Did anyone else hear Nami just now or was it just me?" Sanji paused mid-step, his blonde head twisting to stare behind them, curly brows furrowed in concentration. The inclined tunnel they were following was wide and dark, but Robin led them with a bright lantern of her own held high.

"I do believe the others are enjoying themselves." she smiled to herself, not missing a beat.

"At least somebody is." Usopp mumbled, but nobody was listening.

"That Moss-Head better not be bothering my poor sweet Nami-Swan! And he better keep her safe!" Sanji growled.

"They're fine." Luffy assured his cook, whacking his piece of driftwood on the wall of the cave. "Aw man…my walking stick keeps coming apart." He whined as a soggy chip sprang free and smacked Usopp in the forehead.

Rubbing the offended spot, the sniper said, "That's because you pulled it out of the ocean. Who knows how long it's been decomposing there."

After a moment of contemplation, Luffy decided to replace it with a sturdier one when they reached daylight, declaring so loudly.

"I wonder if the others have found anything." Robin spoke up when a rare silence fell around the group.

"They haven't called, so I think it's safe to assume they are not having any problems." Sanji replied before his face contorted into one of anguish. "But I still can't help worrying about Nami-Swan!"

"They might be too injured to call. Perhaps they fell into a deep, dark cavern, never to be seen again." The woman's reply sent the cook into a fit. He looked as if he would run back the way he came until a tap on his shoulder drew his attention back to Robin. "Just kidding." Her smile snuffed all previous concern he had out instantly.

Usopp sighed as Sanji proceeded to send a barrage of adoration at Robin and Luffy began to sing some ridiculous song. Something told him that it was going to be a long day.

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"Finally! Sunlight, I missed you!" Nami declared, arms wide as if to embrace it.

"It's too bright." Chopper complained as he offered her the lamp and she quickly returned it to her bag.

"My retinas are burning! Except I don't have any eyeballs! I'm all bones." Brook declared, only for his jaw to drop when nobody reacted at all. "Come one! Nothing?" There was still no reply much to his further dismay.

Once they were able to see again, the little group took their first look of their surroundings. A universal gasp sounded among them at the sight of large mushrooms sprouting up in all shapes and sizes. Some had stripes, others spots, while others were solid colors. The earth was soft and damp, almost swamp-like, and coated with vibrant green moss.

"A mushroom shaped island covered in mushrooms. Somehow I'm not surprised." Nami said sarcastically with a chuckle. The others grunted or hummed in agreement.

"I just hope Luffy won't try to eat any. All of these look like they might be poisonous." Chopper supplied. He trotted toward a particularly large one that had to be the size of the Sunny, if not bigger. Brook followed him making silly comments in an attempt for attention while the reindeer-man observed every detail he could.

"Don't wander off too far!" Nami called after them before digging for the mini transponder snail in her bag. "I'm going to call the others and let them know we reached the surface."

"Fine, but hurry up. I want to get moving." The swordsman replied, hands resting lazily on his swords. He continued to stare at the surrounding fungi. He wanted to explore, but remained close to the girl crouching behind him. After a couple of minutes of calming Sanji down on the other end of the connection, Nami managed to explain to Robin what they had found. Robin in turn informed them that they could see light as well and would probably reach the surface momentarily. Robin would call Franky when they did to check up on him while Nami's team got to work exploring.

Once the conversation was over, Nami slid the transponder snail safely into her bag and straitened to her feet. She looked around to see only Zoro standing beside her and the other two gone.

"Did you see where Chopper and Brook went?" She inquired.

Zoro, who had been contemplating what kind of wildlife could possibly be living on the island, glanced over at her, "Huh?"

She sighed before turning to look around for their missing crew mates. "Chopper! Brook! Where are you?! I told you guys to not wonder off!" She called marching toward where she'd seen them last. She stumbled a few times, her heels sinking into the damp earth. "Hello! You guys?!" Nami called glancing over her shoulder toward Zoro. "Come on! It would suck if you got lost too."

"I don't get lost." He growled, but did as he was bid. "And stop being so jumpy. They can handle themselves and I'm here with you." The red that tinted her cheeks made him smirk. She did tend to rely on him and the others quite a bit.

"I-I'm not jumpy…" She mumbled, yet the flood of self-awareness did not help.

To her relief, Chopper's voice rang down to them from above, and distracting Nami from her emotions. "Hey! We're up here!"

The navigator and swordsman tilted their heads up in unison to see a light blue hat with antlers protruding from the sides and a black afro peeping out over the red and pink mushroom cap. She didn't even bother to wonder how they got up so high considering they both were capable to jumping much higher.

"What are you doing up there?"

While Brook 'yo ho hoed' in the background, Chopper explained his desire to gather samples from the mushrooms. It was obvious that he was going to take a while.

"If I fall from this height, I will surely be a dead man." Brook sang but everyone continued to ignore him.

Zoro was so quite as he stepped up behind her that Nami jumped slightly when he called out, "How much can you see from up there?"

"This mushroom forest covers most of the island from what I can tell."

"We'd be able to see more if not for the big hill blocking our view." Brook added.

Zoro was quiet in thought for a moment before calling up, "Which direction is it in?" Two arms pointed south. "Right. We'll go on ahead. Take your time and meet us there by noon."

With that, Zoro turned on his heel and began strolling away. Nami gaped for a moment before rushing after him.

"Wait! Shouldn't we stick together!" She was not sure she could stand being alone with him. They were so rarely truly alone together that the idea made her queasy with nerves. "Besides, you're going the wrong way! It's that way."

Grumbling to himself, the swordsman turned in the direction her finger indicated, calling for her to hurry up. She glanced one last time to the two above, noticing that they had disappeared again, then dashed after him. Getting to higher ground would help them get situated and would allow her the chance to gather the information needed for her map. Ignoring the butterflies fluttering in her stomach, Nami steeled herself for the upcoming trek.

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As the day progressed, the sun came out and the humid climate began to ware down the duo. Nami felt absolutely sticky and disgusting. Trying to not think about a cool bath, she fixed her eyes on Zoro in front of her. After the first few times he almost wondered off, Nami ordered him to only turn when she told him to.

A distant caw rang about them and she wondered how he would react if she grabbed his hand. She could declare herself frightened and that she wanted comfort, yet she just could not bring herself to do so.

The girl was so intent on her train of thought that she hadn't noticed Zoro taking off the top part of his coat until after he had already slid his arms out of his sleeves was tying them around his waist. Her jaw dropped at the sight of his thickly muscled back slick with sweat.

Suddenly feeling much hotter, she pulled a hair tie from around her wrist to pull her hair back into a ponytail, but the distraction did not help other than to get her hair off her neck.

Nami stepped carefully over a protruding root, her eyes shifting from Zoro to the ground then back to him again. The bronze skin on his arm seemed to glisten in the filtered light that managed to poke through the thick canopy above; the sight had the girl practically drooling. The hazy mist left over from the early morning only seemed to add a sense of surrealism to the situation. Moisture clotted into droplets and slid down his shoulder to his elbow where it dripped away. Instead of thinking how sweaty and dirty he was, the girl became mesmerized. Her eyes traveled down his bicep, to his forearm, then his hand. They were calloused from years of fighting and training, large and strong too. A bird cawed high above them again and she was filled with the urge to act on her plan to grasp his hand.

Nami lifted her own shaky one. Tentatively her fingertips hovered closer to the swordsman's arm and the young woman couldn't help but hold her breath. She was just a centimeter away…

"What are you doing?" His deep, inquiring tone caused Nami to jump in guilt and surprise.

"Um…ah…um…well…um…"She stuttered out for a moment until coming up with an excuse. "I-I thought I saw a mosquito…b-but I could have been wrong."

He gave her a curious look, but kept going and, relieved, Nami let out a long sigh. She seriously needed more self-control…or more back bone. _Cling to him or don't, it's not a difficult concept_.

Fanning herself, Nami continued her internal scolding until Zoro abruptly came to a stop. Leaning slightly to peer around him, she noticed what had to be the hill Copper and Brook had mentioned. From up close, Nami noticed that it was made of rock, with no mushrooms growing from it. The navigator also noticed that she and her companion were standing at the edge of the steep slope of a depression in the earth from which the rock formation rested at the center of.

Without a word to her, the swordsman leaped from the ledge and skillfully slid down to the lower level. Glaring after him, Nami huffed and wondered whether he would come back and help her if she asked. Glancing down at her sandals, Nami supposed that perhaps better footwear might have been better after all. After their earlier argument, Nami's pride refused to admit as such though.

Sighing, she scanned the slope for something to hold onto while Zoro moseyed toward the hill, not even pausing when she yelled for him to wait up. The girl edged over to a series of roots protruding from the angled earth, twisting and weaving downward with vines from the mushrooms, and creating a sort of ladder she could use. She grasped a root, securing her foot on a thick vine. She let her weight settle, but froze when the vine moved.

At first she thought it was breaking and that she was about to fall, but then it twisted up and wrapped around her ankle. Next thing she knew, her world flipped upside down and she was hanging twenty feet over the slope.

Nami felt the blood drain to her head and her breath catch. She turned her head slightly to see a mushroom. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that it had a slit in its orange and green striped cap that looked strangely like a mouth…expecially when it opened and closed the way it was with drool dribbling from the corners. It straightened, wobbled slightly, then hopped from the top of the slop into the valley. Nami was too shocked to scream even as the spongy base wiggled and swayed from the effort. It was Zoro's grunt of surprise that she vaguely recognized in the background that snapped her from the horrified trance.

"Eeeeek!" she screamed. "Help!" The words barely passed her lips when a gust of wind flew inches above her, slicing through the mushroom monster's vine arms. There was no time to even yelp before she found herself caught in a pair of powerful arms. She sat leaning against him for a moment before realizing that he must have sliced the fungi to pieces.

Slowly, she allowed her eyes to search for his, only to gasp at the bloodthirsty glare that had yet to fade from his lone eye. She'd seen how scary he could be before, but never in such close proximity. While she watched, the almost animalistic fury faded back into calm and steady. Then he looked down at her.

"You okay?"

The girl's jaw opened and closed for a moment before she managed to stutter out a 'yes'. She felt the muscles of the arm supporting her loosen as he straightened and pushed her onto her feet again. Swaying slightly, Nami snapped out of her daze to recall what Brook had told her to do.

"Ah…Zoro…thank-" She began, but a high pitched shriek cut her off. For a moment Nami thought it might have been her, until she realized that it had been in fact Brook as the skeleton came dashing around a particularly large mushroom with Chopper hot on his heels. The swordsman and the navigator gaped as another monster mushroom, this time yellow with a purple cap, bobbed into view, its vine arms stretching out for the two fleeing pirates. Nami was about to suggest Zoro go help them, when the two found their courage, and spun around to face the enemy.

Chopper transformed into his Kung Fu Point and spun into the air, slamming a hoof into his pursuer's cap, making it lose it's already unstable balance. Brook slid forward with smooth grace that only he could possess. Nami blinked and the mushroom creature shattered into numerous frozen pieces.

Before any of them could even think of breathing easier with the enemy down, more vines whipped out from where they were hanging and wrapped around Chopper's middle. She squealed and shrank in an attempt to escape, but his bonds tightened to accommodate his size.

"Cut him loose! I got him!" Nami called racing toward the fray as Brook complied. All around them more mushrooms began moving. With Chopper in her arms, Nami eyed the rocky protrusion and made a break for it. She hoped they would be out of reach there and yelled for the others to follow.

Brook leaped to safety first while Nami shuffled up after him, with Chopper clinging to her and yelling for Zoro to hurry up. Nami looked back at the swordsman. No matter how many he cut through, more shuffled and bounced over to take their place.

"Is this whole forest alive?!" Nami wailed to the sky, wishing they'd never set foot on the stupid island. _Damn her Captain_!

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"Hey, did anyone else hear Nami just now?" Sanji asked, spinning and kicking the attacking fungi with ease. He glanced at Robin who stood before a wall, studying the ancient writing carved on it. She was engrossed in her work and did not respond while Usopp was too busy himself sobbing in a corner.

"No. You must have imagined it." Luffy replied at his side, pile driving a pile of mushrooms before taking a seat on them. Crossing his legs and arms, he sneezed. Wiping his nose, the Captain grinned at the cook. "Hey, do you think mushroom monsters count as meat?"

15


	9. Chapter 9: Time Well Spent

_It's finally done...Hooray! It took longer than I would've liked though… And now I just have to finish the next chapter of This Little Chickie… Anyway, thank you to all who read and double thanks to all who review. Until next time!_

Chapter 9: Time Well Spent

"YOU ATE THEM?!" Chopper's shrill scream startled Nami. She twisted around on her rocky seat to see Chopper standing in front of their Captain, his little arms waving frantically. Despite the doctor's panic, Luffy continued to grin innocently.

"Yeah. They tasted a whole lot better once Sanji cooked them, but they still weren't as good as normal meat." Luffy replied licking his lips. Realizing that all sense was lost to his friend, the reindeer spun to address the others.

"Did anyone else eat any of the mushrooms?" He looked between Sanji, Usopp, and Robin, sighing in relief when they all shook their heads.

"Nobody even got the chance to." Usopp growled with a huff, though after Chopper's reaction, he was glad for it.

"Why…? Did you want to try some, Chopper? I'm sorry." Luffy made what could have been an apologetic face if not for the grin firmly in place.

"No!" The reindeer-man waved his arms some more, and Nami couldn't help but think he was adorable despite his obvious distress. "That's not it. These mushrooms might be poisonous. Until proven that they're not, nobody should touch them!"

"Oh. Well, no big deal then." Luffy's response took the entire group by surprise. They all paused what they were doing to stare at him. Even Zoro who had been resting against a rock cracked his eye open.

"What do you mean "no big deal"?!" Chopper and Usopp chorused, voicing the thoughts of all the crew members present.

"Ever since Impel Down most poisons don't bother me anymore."

"Well that's quite a lifesaver…not that I'm one to talk…" Brook chuckled, swelling with happiness at no longer being ignored when Sanji and Usopp groaned.

"…I see…but don't eat anymore though." The doctor looked thoughtful as he began to slowly pack up all the medical supplies he'd unloaded after hearing how Luffy ate the monster mushrooms.

"Sure. They weren't very tasty anyway. Real meat's better." Luffy turned away to stare out across the horizon, the rocky hill's height added to the island's own letting them see for miles out to sea. Unfortunately, they could not see the Thousand Sunny since it was anchored in the islands shadow. The island itself was mostly covered in the forest of living fungi, but ruins of some old civilization could be seen peeping up here and there. The multiple colors of the mushroom caps made Nami's eyes hurt. "What a view!" Luffy exclaimed and his navigator silently agreed. Zoro's idea to go to the hill had been a good one, since it had not only been convenient for gathering measurements, but it also reunited their group with the others. Only Franky was absent. Sighing, the navigator thought about how well things had worked out despite the annoying horror of being surrounded by hundreds of giant monster mushrooms.

After Nami's group escaped onto the rocky protrusion, the boys lounged about while Nami worked on gathering data. Ignoring the bouncing and wiggling of the fungi below, all of which seemed to be rather displeased about their lack of climbing abilities, it was not long until the pirates were hungry and fishing around for their lunches. Zoro placed Nami's beside her before digging into his own with gusto.

The navigator had just set aside her work to dig in as well when Chopper noticed someone jumping from cap to cap a ways off. Realizing it was Luffy, the reindeer started shouting and waving until the exuberant young man noticed and shot over. Within minutes Usopp, Sanji, and Robin appeared and quickly climbed to the safety of the hilltop.

Nami was pleased with the turn of events until Luffy, who had already eaten his lunch along with what he'd had Sanji grill up while on the island, began bugging her since she was the only one still eating. Sanji did not make things easier with his affection either. Scowling, the girl continued to shove food in her mouth while trying to ignore the two annoyances and listen to what Robin was saying.

"-is possible that the people who lived on this island were related to the Shandorians at Skypea. From what I deduced, the language and culture are very similar. I saw many bells and depictions of bells in the ruins as well."

"Well, Shandora was not always in the sky. Some of the people may have traveled from there at some point to settle elsewhere before the knock-up stream shot them into the sky." Nami commented, elbowing Sanji away from her.

"Yes, but to make it this far into the Grand Line…Then the question of what happened to them arises. I have seen no indication of war, so perhaps a contagion…" Robin paused, signifying her deep thought. "I'd like to continue to look around."

Suddenly Nami had an idea.

"Hey Robin." She said sweetly. "Do you think this island might have gold as well? I mean, there was so much at Shandora, the city of _gold_."

Smiling the older woman replied, "I have not seen any evidence to support the idea of treasure being on this island, though nor have I seen any to refute the possibility either."

"Alright!" Belli signs flashed through the girl's mind and a grin split her face. "Then, I suggest we get going! Time is wasting!"

"Go where?" Brook questioned as Luffy snatched up the last of Nami's fish cakes while she was distracted.

"To find adventure!" Nami replied dreamily.

"Yeah right." Usopp mumbled. "I know that look, but I don't care. I am not leaving this rock; not with all those things down there!" All around the hill mushrooms wobbled and squirmed.

"That does make me wonder," Robin said, "are they actually living or is something controlling them. We had been wandering around for quite a while before they attacked any of us."

"Perhaps they were sleeping." Sanji eyed Zoro snoring away against a boulder.

"It is possible, but I suspect something else may be going on."

"Which would imply that there is something to hide on this island…something of _value_." Nami began packing her gear and empty lunchbox back into her pack. "And I think it would be beneficial for us to find whatever it is."

"I don't know about this…" Brook stared down the slope, his cane twirling in his boney fingers.

"We'll split up into teams again; four teams of two…we'll cover more ground that way." Nami suggested.

Usopp gawked at her for a moment. "_Smaller_ groups than before? Nami, are you feeling okay?"

"Yes! Shut up! What is it with everyone and questioning my health?!"

"They're just worried." Robin supplied with a chuckle.

"I'm fine!"

"Do we have to split up into smaller groups?" Usopp whined, recovering quickly from Nami's outburst of aggravation.

"Yes!"

"Fine, then I call dibs on Zoro or Sanji." The sniper declared, but the cook snapped that he only paired up with ladies.

"We'll draw straws to decide." Robin found some dry grass growing in tufts around the hillside. She plucked a few blades, matched them into pairs, than moved around for the others to draw one.

After being kicked awake by the cook, Zoro sighed at the new predicament he found himself in. For some reason, the women were always the ones deciding stuff; Luffy was an idiot, but as Captain he should be the one getting the last say. Then again, he appeared to be thrilled with the idea of going on an 'adventure' and didn't care who he traveled with.

The swordsman drew his "straw" without a word, waiting for the others to finish up. He eyed Nami, who looked slightly apprehensive, as she pulled her straw out, looking at Robin questioningly. The older woman give the younger one a reassuring smile before raising her own blade of grass to show that she was paired up with Chopper. Sanji whined when he ended up with Brook while Luffy looked delighted to be dragging Usopp around. Zoro did not have to look down to know he and Nami were together again. He let the grass slip from his fingers and slowly got to his feet.

Nami didn't know how she managed it again, but she felt smothered by the mix of nerves and elation at getting more alone time with Zoro. Robin must have done something, though Nami had not seen her do anything and she had watched very closely.

Glancing over at the swordsman, she noticed he did not seem bothered by the events. In fact, he appeared to be totally fine with wandering the island in search of treasure with her. The thought brought a serene smile to her face.

Standing by their partners, the StrawHats decided that each of the groups would check out one of the four coordinal directions for anything interesting (or valuable) before meeting up back on the hill before night time. The main issue was that they only had two mini transponder snails, but as they usually didn't use them anyway, none of them worried much about it. Chances were they wouldn't even fall through with their plan anyway, so what was the point of sweating the small stuff.

Nami pumped her fist, trying to calm the butterflies in her stomach, and declared, "Remember people! Anything that glitters, grab it!"

Luffy and Usopp set out first, running across the caps of the mushrooms and leading a few of them away. After threatening Zoro and Chopper to take care of the girls, Sanji grumbled as he and Brook followed, taking out a bunch more to vent his frustration.

Robin and Chopper held back to call in to check on Franky, but Nami had only a few moments to listen in on Franky's description of installing the new speaker system he and Brook had been discussing before she had to scramble after the swordsman. He moved surprisingly quickly for someone who was in no hurry.

She was about to jump when she heard Chopper call out to her. "Good luck, Nami!"

"Ah…thanks. Same to you and Robin." She grinned at him and he rubbed his hooves together shyly.

"Um, that's not…I mean…I meant…I just wanted you to know…" The reindeer continued to stutter and the girl was confused by his sudden shyness. Suddenly a look of determination lit up his dark eyes and he puffed up his chest and met her gaze. "Brook said you wanted to get along better with Zoro. I just wanted to let you know I think that is very inspiring." Nami gawked for a moment at the suddenness of his words before spinning to see if Zoro had heard. Luckily he had already reached the bottom of the hill and was cutting up the last of the mobile mushrooms that the others had left behind. Spinning about to face Chopper once again, Nami wondered if it was possible to kill a dead man. Not seeming to realize the navigator's distress, the little doctor continued, "Friends should spend time together. I'm sure the two of you will be best friends in no time."

Nami stared at him for a moment until Zoro's impatient tone met her ears, "Hurry up, Nami, or I'll leave you behind." She managed to stutter out a thank you to the now blushing Chopper before scrambling to catch up to the swordsman, nearly falling multiple times.

The reindeer man smiled softly to himself as he watched her slip and slide down the hill. He had always thought that Nami and Zoro got along pretty well, though he supposed they did fight quite a bit…He also understood why she might be having trouble expressing her desires. Chopper knew all too well how difficult it was to make oneself understood.

He cared for both of them dearly; they were like his siblings…his family. While Chopper spent much of his time playing or fishing with Luffy and Usopp, and the rest of the crew was without a doubt special to him as well, the navigator and the swordsman were always especially kind. Zoro always protected and supported him, giving him advice as well, while Nami was constantly hugging him and inviting him to join her and Robin in the bath or on shopping trips. He pictured the three of them together, smiling and laughing and having fun together with everyone else. A warm feeling spread through him and his smile widened as he chuckled to himself. With any luck, the next time he saw them they would be even better friends.

Chopper returned his attention to Robin and noticed that she had finished talking to Franky. She stood silently, her pack on her shoulders and a knowing smile on her face as she looked at him. Stunned, Chopper stared back.

"Come along, brilliant and kind doctor. We have much to do." She said offering her hand. After a moment, understanding dawned on Chopper and he blushed and wiggled with happiness, yet managed to slide his hoof between her fingers. He had such nice friends.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Once more leading the way, Zoro strolled along, shooting cautious glances about as if waiting for the surrounding fungi to wiggle and wobble to life. Knowing his hot-blooded ways, Nami figured that he was probably hoping the whole island would challenge him and his blades.

Yet it was quiet…and oddly so.

Despite being in the middle of a forest, though admittedly a uniquely treeless one, Nami could not hear even a soft chirp of a bird or buzz of an insect. It hadn't been so quiet before, so what was going on? It was as if the world had decided to let her ponder her latest predicament in peace.

Somehow she did not feel thankful _at all_.

She was relieved that Chopper was too innocent to understand the level of her affection for the first mate. He was not as much as a blabber-mouth as Usopp, but his naiveté left him open to accidently divulging information others would have preferred kept secret. The issue of whether anyone else would understand should he talk was another matter.

Including Zoro, only four members of the crew had no idea about her little secret. Luffy was an immature idiot while Usopp was…well…Usopp. If Sanji ever found out, Nami had no doubt he would fly off the deep end. He might even attack the swordsman, thus informing him in the process. Nami did _not_ want that to happen. With any luck Chopper would stick to silently cheering for what he assumed to be her growing friendship with the first mate.

The little reindeer had a point though…spending time together and getting to know one another were how friends grew closer. Nami however had already admitted to herself that she didn't want to just be friends. She loved him and selfishly wanted him to love her back. Nami was a selfish being and could no longer lie to herself. Yet she could not help but wonder if Chopper knew her true desires whether his thoughts would have been different. Should she continue to force her presence on Zoro whenever she could just to satisfy her greedy heart? What if he just got annoyed by her even more? What if she did something to make him hate her for real?

Biting her lip and squeezing her eyes shut in frustration, a part of her wished she'd never realized her true feelings; life was so much simpler when she was oblivious.

Nami sighed. She was such a _coward_.

Her companion wandered on ahead without much care or thought; he was totally relaxed, yet he always had a hand resting on his blades. Nami both coveted and dreaded her time alone with him while all he cared about was his next opponent. Life would have been so much easier if she fell in love with someone a little more accommodating…like Sanji. Yet then she would have to worry about infidelity.

Nami valued loyalty more than she did gold. Though undoubtedly loyal to the crew, when it came to women Sanji's love was as wide as the ocean.

Her eyes narrowed at the male a few steps ahead of her. Zoro was loyal to his very core…and kind…at least he was in his own way. He was not the smartest of men, but he had good common sense—almost like the instincts of an animal. In fact, it was his animalistic raw power and almost feral nature that made Nami's heart beat so fast. She'd seen how dangerous he could be should the mood strike him, yet he'd always been so gentle with her – protective even. The thought gave her hope as well as made her heart swell further with adoration.

"Hey Nami, you're falling behind again."

Startled from her reverie, the girl shook her head to clear away her swarming thoughts. "Huh? Uh…sorry. I'm coming." She trotted to his side as he waited near a rather obscene-looking mound of moss and fist-sized fungi. Zoro looked at it for ten seconds with an expression of revulsion before dismissing it and wondering off again.

_Thank goodness he was above prodding random objects that they come across unlike some others she knew_.

After pointing him in the right direction once again, Nami followed close behind. Glancing at the man out of the corner of her eye, Nami held back another sigh. The silence was becoming irritating as well as unsettling. If none of the dumb birds on the stupid island were willing to so much as chirp, she would just have to strike up a conversation with him.

"So…this kind of brings back memories." She began somewhat awkwardly as she glanced at him from under lowered eyelashes.

"Huh?" Looking startled, Zoro allowed his gaze to meet hers. He watched as her shy look morphed into a reminiscent grin.

"Skypea. I mean, Robin said that the cultures of the Shandorians and the one on this island are-or were-similar. Possibly related." Zoro grunted. "And here we are marching through yet another jungle looking for gold." Nami paused as she glanced at her surroundings. "Sort of."

"Hey, this was your idea." His snarky comment relaxed Nami somewhat. Talking was good. Talking normally with him was even better. Friendly banter, being their most normal form of communication, was best though. Questions about her health were getting _very_ annoying.

"And last time it was _yours_," was her pert reply.

Zoro frowned slightly, thinking back. "You jumped on board quickly enough." He suddenly snorted with mirth. "Yet I seem to recall you having a lot of trouble just getting around. You'd think after last time you'd learn to wear better footwear." He glanced meaningfully at her feet and Nami puffed her cheeks in agitation, yet the underlying concern beneath his words did not go unnoticed or unappreciated by her.

"_Again_ with the complaints. I don't get why you're so hung up about _my_ shoes." Hiding a small blush and smile, the girl's nose pointed up with a sense of finality. The swordsman didn't get the hint.

"Considering I'm the one who has to listen to you whine when you fall on your ass, I'd say I have a right to voice my opinion." Nami exaggerated her offense, clutching her heart and letting a wounded look cross her features. Zoro didn't buy it. Pouting, she turned away and pointed her nose up dismissively once more.

"I haven't actually fallen since we've stepped on this island, thank-you-very-much."

"It's only a matter of time, Nami." He called over his shoulder as he moved ahead of her again, missing the look of disgust that crossed her features when she stepped in a particularly soggy spot and murky dampness oozed between her toes.

"Don't jinx me! And where are you going?! Is it so hard to walk in a straight line?!"

"I am going straight!"

"No, you suddenly just turned left for no reason." Nami yelled and the man looked back at her then around himself.

"No…I mean…it's just…damn it…"

"Here, take my hand." She sauntered forward smugly. Under her confident façade, Nami was reeling with panic, but there was no going back. After a moment of hesitation, her slim fingers wrapped around his larger calloused ones. "You can keep me from falling over and I'll keep you from getting lost." She gave his hand a slight squeeze and tugged him in the right direction.

"I don't get lost." Zoro grumbled, staring down at their connected hands. Nami was looking away, too self-conscious to even dare sneak a peek at him. The swordsman contemplated how small her hand was; she was so delicate and fair in comparison to his own rough, tanned self. She would break so easily…_he_ could break her so easily. He'd always thought that the cook was a sappy fool, but for a few brief seconds he could understand why he could look at girls, Nami especially, as such precious, fragile beings. Then, of course, Nami opened her mouth and destroyed the whole effect. Nami was much too determined, as well as annoyingly mouthy, to be truly weak.

"Yeah, yeah, and I never fall over." Her sarcastic reply came out rather breathless. She was stepping over a particularly large root, enabling her to disguise the cause of her hitched breath as physical exertion.

"Now you're just being petty." He commented, ripping his attention away from their joined hands and not noticing how he subconsciously kept a firm yet gently grip on her.

"And you're being petulant." She sniggered.

"Brat." He smirked. She glanced over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow, taking little notice of the slightly sloping ground; the marshy land under their feet growing increasingly wet with each step downward.

"Idio-EEEK!" Nami slipped on the layer of soaked, thick moss and instinctively her body twisted into Zoro's side. Her hand clutched his tight enough to make the swordsman wince while her other arm shot forward to wrap around his bicep in an attempt to find purchase. However, as he was shirtless and his skin was slick with sweat, she just slid down him. Having done everything possible to catch herself, the young woman could only wait to hit the damp earth in an embarrassing heap.

When a thick arm slipped protectively around her waist like a steel band halting her fall, Nami could only stare blankly at the muscled chest of her rescuer. She choked back her shock, forcing her eyes to slowly travel higher until they met the smirking man's own. "Oh." She breathed out, feeling a fresh wave of blood rushing to her face.

Zoro laughed. "See, I told you."

She gawked at him for a moment before managing to snap her mouth closed. Shaking her head, Nami told him, "Thanks…" She bit her lip and straightened her stance. Her heart was beating like crazy and her stomach was doing what felt like a mad gymnastics routine. She swallowed thickly. "K-Keep your eyes on me and we won't get separated." She managed to blurt out.

Her hands slid away from his flesh, the tip of her fingers brushing against his for a moment before falling away completely. She turned away from him and carefully continued onward through the forest of mushrooms.

Zoro stood motionless, his gaze glued to his upturned palm while his smirk sank into a grim look as she pulled away from him. He curled his fingers to make a fist. His expression darkened into an all-out scowl. It was not the time to be having such thoughts, Zoro decided to himself. He had to focus.

Steeling his resolve, the First Mate of the StrawHat crew followed the navigator silently.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Gum Gum-Umph!" Luffy had been about to attack when the mushroom promptly bent over and ate him. His feet kicked about for a moment until he was slurped in the rest of the way. The sight of his friend disappearing into the dark gaping hole sent Usopp reeling.

"L-Luffy!" His cry attracted the attention of the five monsters that had surrounded the rubber man. "Crap." He spun on his heel and ran, boots squelching as they sank into the moss-covered mud. Yet he could not leave Luffy behind. He had no doubt in his mind his Captain would be able to escape on his own, but who knew when he would get around to doing so. Running off alone surrounded by potentially aggressive monster mushrooms was not the smartest thing for Usopp to do either. As it was, they had ended up surrounded in a small clearing a few minutes after leaving the safety of the rocky hill, so the others might have run into trouble as well.

"Right, I have to get Luffy out by force!" The sniper concluded. He changed direction to sprint around the offenders, eyeing the yellow one with orange polka dots decorating its cap. Luffy was inside of it. The sniper skidded to a halt once he was confident that he was a safe distance from his opponents. They were too slow to reach him before he could attack.

Weapon in hand, he pulled his goggles down, preparing to take aim. The mushrooms hobbled slightly and Usopp smirked. It was like shooting sitting ducks.

Just as he was about to fire, the mushroom that had eaten Luffy scrunched in on itself, causing the sniper to pause in surprise. Then, like a coiled spring, it shot into the air and landed mere feet from him. Though it had not gained much altitude, the leap had covered more distance then Usopp thought possible.

He did what all cowards do when confronted with a monster fungi that he'd just seen eat his friend. He screamed. He screamed again when something sharp shot toward his head from the side of the monster's stem. Was it trying to impale him with roots?

He fell backwards and scuttled hurriedly away from the mushroom, sure it was about to eat him as well when the stick pulled back into its side leaving a small hole.

"Wha…?" He gawked when a finger poked out of the hole and wiggled around, increasing the size.

"L-Luffy…?" He stuttered.

"Usopp?" A muffled reply sounded from the mushroom. The digit vanished. The sniper saw an eye peer out of the hole. That was when Usopp realized the stick had actually been the one Luffy had been swinging around since stepping onto the island.

"Luffy! What are you doing?"

"I was eaten."

"Yeah, but what are you doing stabbing things out of the side?! I could have been impaled!" He shot to his feet, carefully keeping an eye on the monster's mouth as it bobbed slightly, as if surprised by the voice coming from inside of it.

"'Cause it was so squishy and bouncy, I thought it might stretch like me, but I was wrong. Bummer."

"Can you get out Luffy?"

"There's not much space in here. It is kind of comfy though…"

Usopp sighed and shook his head, "But you can still move, right?"

"Well, yeah."

"Then hurry up and-" The sniper began but was cut off by a child-like voice sounding around the clearing.

"Who are you and why are you on this island?! Answer, or my servants will devour you as they did your friend!"

"Yikes!" Usopp squealed, searching for the speaker. He spotted a shadowy figure seated on a mushroom on the other side of the clearing.

"I'm Luffy, the future King of the Pirates!" The sniper tried to keep a straight face from the line sounding from inside the mushroom. Usopp squinted at the mysterious figure, taking in the yellowed shirt and short maroon cloak with the hood drawn up to hide the individual's face. Brown hair peeked out around the barely visible narrow chin.

"Fiendish fungi haters! Your presence is not tolerated. Arise my minions!" Usopp knew the speaker was an adolescent when he spoke again by the softness of his voice. He did not have long to ponder the fact though as all of the mushrooms surrounding the clearing shivered to life. He, of course, shrieked as loudly as he could.

"What?! What is it?!" Luffy questioned, trying his hardest to see through the hole, but all he could make out was his friend's tear and snot-covered face.

"Alive! Hundreds of them! What are we going to do now?!" Usopp panicked slightly more than usual.

After a moment the Captain said, "I have an idea."

"What?"

"Put your nose in this hole here."

"…Why?"

"It would be funny."

"This is no time for jokes! You may have already been eaten, but I'm in real danger!"

"Nah, I don't think so. I don't think these things can even digest us and even you would be able to just walk right out of them."

"If that's the case, why haven't you just 'walked right out of it', huh?"

"'Cause this is comfy."

Usopp gawked at the hole in the mushroom's side for a moment before sighing and rubbing his temples. "I can't believe I'm arguing about this with you…" he mumbled.

Meanwhile, the mysterious adolescent figure took in the fearful man and smirked to himself.

"Impressed by my soldiers are you? Hahaha! I ate a devil fruit so now I can bring plants to life and control them! This whole island is covered in an army just waiting for me to give it orders! Mwahahaha!"

Usopp was about to comment how plants were already living when Luffy questioned, "Really? What is your power called?"

"…How would I know? I just ate the fruit. It's not like it would tell me what it's called."

"Actually, normally it just comes to you after eating it. It did for me; I ate the Gum Gum Fruit."

"What does it matter anyway?"

"To help come up with attack names of course. How do you name your attacks if you don't even know what your power actually is?"

"Don't be stupid. I don't go around screaming out stupid things like that!"

All was quiet for a moment before the two StrawHats cried, "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO?!"

Usopp collapsed onto his hands and knees while the mushroom bulged slightly where Luffy hit his fists against it in frustration. "You're supposed to name your attacks! Without names, it's just not as cool!" The Captain declared passionately.

"Even Nami and Robin understand that much despite knowing nothing about having a camp fire while camping!" The sniper added through his tears of pity.

"YOU'RE BOTH IDIOTS!"

"If you have trouble coming up with names 'cause you don't know your fruit's name, you can make one up for it." Luffy suggested, calming down. The mushroom he was in wobbled as if in contemplation with him.

"Yeah…like 'puppet puppet'…no, he controls just plants. 'Grow Grow' doesn't quite cover it either…How about 'botany botany'?"

"Yeah! I like that last one. Expecially how it makes me think of robots! I wonder how Franky's doing…"

"Robots…? _Really, _Luffy? Where is the connection?"

"SHUT UP! MUSHROOMS, DEVOUR THEM!"

"Hey, were you listening to us at all?" Luffy snapped and his captor seemed to quiver with rage with him. Usopp on the other hand wasted no time sprinting away. His Captain had already admitted to being able to escape whenever he felt like it. He would prefer to stay together, but if he remained he would get eaten as well…Though Luffy had said it was not that bad…Oh well.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Her fingers still tingled where she'd touched him. Gripping the shoulder straps of her pack, the young navigator could barely focus on maneuvering safely around the fungi let alone concentrate on her mission. She shook her head for what felt like the umpteenth time in an attempt to clear it. She needed to get her mind out of the gutter.

"Think gold." She took a step. "Gold." Then another. "Gold." Followed by another. "Just focus on the wonderful glittering reward Nami, and perhaps you'll live through this." She mumbled to herself.

"Hey Nami, what are you going on about?!" Zoro called from a couple feet behind her.

"N-nothing!"

"…Right…" Zoro didn't buy it. She was talking to herself. Despite her enthusiasm, in the end Nami never did handle treasure hunts very well. Her fear always got to her while her determination kept her going. Though Zoro found indecisiveness extremely annoying, a part of him could not help but find Nami immensely entertaining.

The girl brushed some lose strands of hair behind her ear before yanking on her ponytail to tighten it. Tilting her head slightly, she listened to the barely audible yet steady steps of the swordsman behind her. Always the cautious predator.

"What the hell is that?" Zoro suddenly growled out. Nami jumped slightly before scanning the area he was looking. There was a hole in the ground about the size of the Mini Merry. Though the pit was odd, she knew it was the glittering light that had caught the swordsman's attention.

Her heart skipped a beat and her mind went blank save for a single word: treasure. The shine was from sunlight reflecting off of a crystal a few feet down the hole. Though it could be anything, the girl could not help but see beli signs dancing in her head.

Zoro chuckled as Nami appeared to teleport in front of her target, circling it. He stepped up behind her and leaned over to get a better look as well. The hole sank sharply into the ground, wrapped in roots, compacted soil, and rocks. Idly he observed the dryness of the area compared to the rest of the damp island. Once he thought about it, Zoro realized that with its high-elevation, numerous hills dotting the surface, as well as the series of tunnels channeling underneath, it was odd that the island was so swamp-like. He was no geological expert, but even he realized the oddity of the island's environment.

"Do you think you could reach it?" Nami practically demanded and he rolled his eyes in response, forgetting his previous curiosity. If Nami didn't care, then why should he?

"Maybe, but it's buried in the wall."

"Use your swords to cut it out."

He gave her a hard look. "No." _They were not shovels._

"Fine, then climb down and…and…" Nami trailed off as she reconsidered. Perhaps the time had finally come for her to show him what she was made of. She swallowed thickly and peered down into the dark depths as she made her final decision. "Lower _me_ down and _I'll_ chisel it out."

"No."

"Zoro-" She started to argue, though a warmth bubbled in her stomach. Was he concerned? Nami internally shook her head; he was probably just being lazy.

"Is it that important?"

Nami did not feel the need to dignify his question with a verbal response. Instead she gave him a very pointed look.

The First Mate growled, ruffled his hair furiously to stave off the headache he could feel coming.

"Fine, fine! But it you fall, don't blame me!"

"Alright! I have rope!" Nami grinned and clapped her hands together triumphantly.

They tied one end around the base of a nearby mushroom as well as twisted it around Zoro's waist. He grasped it with both hands to hold the line steady at her insistence as she, with a stray iron stake from a tent she had found in Zoro's bag, backed slowly into the natural manhole.

Staring at the wall before her Nami wished Usopp was around with a mallet or some other hammer-like tool to make the digging process easier. With a huff of resignation, she set to work.

Despite her efforts to not move around, every so often she would feel her lifeline lurch slightly, making her pause for a moment. Each time she would look up and shout for Zoro to hold her steady. He grumbled back incoherently, and she, slightly reassured by even his annoyed response, swallowed the fear threatening to rise and continued her self-imposed task.

Stones, clay, and chunks of root crumbled away each time she stabbed around the gem. To Nami's great pleasure, it turned out to be much bigger than she'd originally thought. Only a corner of it had been visible originally, but by the time it fell into her eagerly waiting hands, the gem revealed itself to be at least six inches in diameter. Nami could hardly wait to have Robin check it out, yet feared it at the same time. If it turned out to not have any financial value, Nami decided she would die of despair. Figuratively of course.

"Alright, I'm do-

She froze when another glint caught her eye.

"Ohmygoditsanotherone!" She squealed. Not understanding her at all, Zoro grunted in confusion. "I see another one! Further down. Lower me! Lower me!"

"What?"

"Just do it!"

"Nami…" He groaned.

"It's twice as big! I want it!"

With a growl of compliance, Zoro let the rope slowly slide through his fingers until he heard the infuriating woman declare he could stop. He listened to the muffled sounds of her digging, waiting patiently for her to finish.

"Friggin' idiot…" He grumbled as Nami let out another squeal of delight. He shook his head only to freeze when he sensed movement to his right. He snapped to attention, moving to draw Shusui from its sheath while gripping the rope with a single hand. The black blade cut through the air, slicing through the attacking mushroom with ease. As the diced pieces bounced across the ground, Nami hollered at Zoro to hold her steady again.

"Things are about to get bumpy, Nami. You should probably hold tight."

"What? What's going on up there?"

"Just some company."

Nami frowned as she felt her lifeline lurch once more, rattling her to her core. "You're grinning, aren't you. You are totally enjoying this."

"I was getting rather bored." The swordsman chuckled darkly and the navigator shivered, picturing his excited expression. Sometimes he seemed almost evil. And yet her shiver was not from fear…

Still frowning, she looked at the gem still lodged deeply in the side of the hole. It was awkward digging with one hand; her other gripped her first prize to her chest. She decided Zoro would handle whatever was happening above and continued to dig.

The movements of the mushrooms were predictable. The one he had tied Nami's life line had already perished, and Zoro realized early on that he did not need to move more than his arm to slice through them as they wobbled closer. It certainly was not enough to dissipate his boredom.

With an annoyed glare firmly in place, he cut a stray root in half, pausing for a moment to study the surrounding area. He felt like he was being watched. With Nami hanging in the hole the way she was, and if there truly was something else other than the mushrooms, than they were at a disadvantage.

Zoro was about to tell her to climb back up, deciding he would drag her out of the hole if she refused, when a flash of a small blade shot from the shadows deeps in the forest.

"Shit—

He turned, whirling Shusui around in hopes of blocking the attack, but he was not fast enough. Mind racing, Zoro twisted the rope so the knife only grazed it before stabbing the earth, but it was not enough. The connected strands could not hold Nami's weight. As the rope snapped, the First mate felt panic turn his blood cold. After a second of shocked comprehension, he dodged around his attackers. "NAMI!"

He skidded at the edge of the gap, searching wide-eyed for some sign of the girl he instinctively knew he had to protect. "Nami!"

"I-I'm alright!" Relief flooded through him at her tentative reply. He caught sight of her clinging a few feet down, her fingers were white against the pale crystal she hung from. Her other gem was hugged tightly by her ankles. "B-but I'm slipping!" She stared up at him pleadingly. "Zoro, help!"

"Hang on." He called, turning away to scan the forest for the one who threw the knife, but all of the mushrooms in the surrounding area were alive and hobbling toward them, blocking his view.

He cut through the first wave before Nami cried out, "Zoro, I'm _slipping_!"

He sheathed Shusui and dropped onto his belly. Bracing one hand against the earth, he reached down with his other. The moment Nami's fingers brushed his, Zoro felt the ground beneath him begin to sink.

"What the—"

He closed his hand around her wrist and the ground collapsed, taking him and Nami with it.

Nami gasped, her heart leapt into her throat, and her stomach twisted as she felt the gem supporting her slip free. The earth around her crumbled and Zoro fell toward her. Terror of being buried alive enveloped her. Or would she simply fall to her death? Zoro still had hold of her; even as they tumbled and slid through the dark, damp earth, clay, and stone he did not let go. Instead he pulled her closer and folded himself around her protectively.

Sealing her eyes closed, Nami clung to him until she felt herself and the swordsman burst free of the enclosed shaft and land on a slanted surface. Her eyes squinted open enough to make out an old mine shaft similar to the one they'd entered the island through.

Zoro grunted as she landed on him, her elbow digging into his gut. He did not have long to contemplate his discomfort as they began to slide down the new tunnel. Spitting out dirt while trying to blink his eyes clean, he wrapped his arm tighter around her waist, twisting to find something to slow their decent. Unfortunately the tunnel was slick from previous runoff while the loose soil around them was useless.

He pulled Nami closer and managed to wedge his knee forward to help push himself up while still sliding backwards. "Hang on tight to me," he breathed into Nami's ear before getting a mouthful of dirt. While his other hand working under him to keep his balance, he released the one around Nami to unsheathe Shusui before digging his blade into the ground under them.

Though Shusui was much too sharp to stop their decent, he hoped it would at least slow them down. He struggled to keep his balance when his boot collided with a stone.

Feeling the man she clung to reel slightly, Nami lost her grip, falling in front of him so her chin slammed into his shoulder. She winced when she bit her tongue, her eyes blinking rapidly to dispel the tears from the pain as well as the dirt. From her position Nami could see the light of day; they were approaching the opening fast. Based on the steepness of the sloping floor and how high they were originally, she knew that there was no way they would pop out near the water.

Nami whimpered and hoisted herself up so she could bury her face in Zoro's neck. Using him to keep her mouth clear, she managed to say, "We're going to fall into the ocean." The swordsman grunted and pushed his sword deeper into the ground, his muscles bulging despite the sharpness of the blade. Nami wrapped her legs around his waist and braced herself for what was to come.

The pair felt their hearts leap into their throats as they burst out of the cave and promptly plummeted. Zoro took one look at the craggy waters below and twisted around so he could try slowing their decent with Shusui once more. This time it was stone he was cutting; sparks rained down with them as the scraping scream of metal on rock ground against their ears.

Hanging onto the First mate, Nami was struck with a sudden sense of deja'vu. She wanted to scream, but all of the air in her lungs had escaped and she had yet to be able to draw a fresh breath. She looked to see Zoro grinding his teeth in frustrated concentration. He was filthy, his sweat turning the layer of dirt coating his skin into mud while his hair was hardly green anymore. She figured she looked just as bad, but somehow she could not help thinking that the man fighting to protect her was somehow more gloriously dashing when he was in states of disarray.

She was startled when he suddenly growled, his eyes narrowing, he twisted the sword and she felt them jolt for a moment until the cliff shattered, unable to withstand the strength of the man. As the sword would not give, the island had no choice but to. Nami finally found her voice and managed to let out a startled cry. Zoro thought she sounded rather like a strangled cat. Then they hit the water, missing a particularly jagged-looking rock by a mere few feet.

In her panic, the girl released her hold from her crewmate and frantically kicked toward what she thought to be the surface. She could feel powerful currents from the ocean shoving against the reef and the island pushing and pulling at her. A wave flooded up from her side and pounded her up and down against something hard and sharp. When she attempted to cry out in pain water filled her mouth and nose. Luckily something fell on top of her, forcing the water back out of her. Arms encircled her as the water pulled away. She was lifted with it only to collapse down again once it was gone.

Zoro, having re-sheathed Shusui just before hitting the water, used both hands to grasp the ledge so he and Nami would not be pulled away. He listened to her coughing and hacking for a split-second before he dragged to two of them away from the crashing waves.

Once safe enough to rest without out fear of being swept away, they collapsed in a panting, quivering heap. Caught in the shadow of the island, the pair felt every sea breeze to their bones.

Nami looked at Zoro, collapsed on his back, arms spread wide.

"Thanks for saving me." She swallowed thickly, waiting for her heart to calm. He grunted in reply. Nami chuckled roughly, slowly sitting up and folding her legs as she huddled for warmth. "That could have gone better. I mean, the rope snapping—

"It was cut."

"Huh?"

"There is someone else on that island." Zoro pushed himself up and fixing his coat while he glared upwards. She figured he was wondering about the fates of their crewmates.

"Really…I guess we should give the others a call, but our stuff didn't fall with us. We could always head back to the ship. Franky has a transponder snail as well." When the First mate merely nodded, she let out a huff and glanced around. "As long as…as…wait…my gems…?" Nami looked around in realization. Panic overtook her features and Zoro winced as he covered his ears, knowing what was coming. "My _gems_…my _jewels_…my…my…TREASSSSUUUURRRRREEE!"

Though he had been expecting her to scream and make a fuss, he had not expected her to try to jump back into the waters that had just barely escaped from. He managed to grab her hand and yank her back before she could dive. As she tumbled against his chest she let out a cry of dismay.

"Noooo!"

"Nami, the rocks or your life." He demanded.

"I choose them!"

"Really Nami…" He sighed and shook his head, bemused by her behavior. He kept a tight hold on her as he stood. With the woman tucked under his arm he picked a direction and began to make his way along the narrow lip. "Enough of your tantrum. We need to get back to the ship."

"_I'm suffering here!_" The shrillness of her tone reached an impressive pitch.

"I'm guessing from insanity." He muttered.

"What was that?" She snarled, wiggling to escape his hold. Laughing at her antics, the First mate hoisted her up to look her in the eyes.

Nami, finding herself inches from him, froze instantly. She felt a raging blush begin to spread as the man spoke, his breath brushing against her cheeks.

"It's not like you've lost money before. You're not dying over something so stupid."

Turning her face away Nami's lips trembled. "They were so big…" Zoro's expression went blank and he dropped her. She landed unsteadily on her feet. "Hey!"

"Let's go." He said calmly, though the young woman could swear she heard a slight bite to his tone.

"Wrong direction genius! That way would be shorter!" She pointed and, grumbling, he turned. Despite her dismay, Nami could not help but smile as she trotted after her crewmate. She gave the rough waters crashing against the craggy outcropping one final longing glance before letting thoughts of treasure fade from her mind. She hoped the others had better luck then she and Zoro.

The two spent the next hour climbing. Several times Nami had to convince the swordsman that the tunnels that they often came across were not shortcuts to the Sunny; they had no way of knowing where they led. On the other hand, she slipped so often that Zoro began to wonder whether she's truly given up thoughts of diving for her lost jewels. When the pale sails of their ship finally came into view, neither could resist the sigh of relief that fell from their lips.

The Mini Merry was exactly where they had left it. Once back on the deck, Zoro stiffened in alarm when Franky was nowhere to be found. He led the navigator in search of the shipwright.

Franky, who had been distracted by the insertion of his speaker system, failed to notice their presence until they opened the door, consequently nocking the stool he'd been perched on over. With a humorous howl and crash, he jumped to his feet, fists ready to pound all intruders. At the sight of Zoro re-sheathing his swords and Nami stepping out from her hiding place behind him, he spun away to keep from hitting them.

"Hey, you guys. What are you doing here?"

"We ran into some trouble. Our stuff was lost and I want to call Robin. Where is your transponder snail?" Nami huffed. Franky, after getting a good look at her, noticed her disheveled appearance; her hair was loose and fell around in tangled curls while her clothes clung even closer than usual thanks to their dampness. The swordsman looked almost as bad. The cyborg's eyes drifted between the two as a slow grin slid across his features.

"Well, well…you two fina—GWAAH!"

He buckled over to clutch his knee as Nami swung her foot out viciously. Zoro ignored the interaction, taking it as typical interaction between crewmates.


End file.
